The Big Three- Aims and Thoughts

The Big Three- Aims and Thoughts

Open Ended

Who were the "Big Three"? Give their names and countries.

Differing Opinions

• The Big Three were faced with the task of rebuilding the world after the Great War but each had their own solution to how best it should be done.

• Each leader's opinions were drastically shaped by their nations experience in the war.

• The differences in their opinions made decision making tricky and in the end, as we shall see, no one exactly got what they wanted.

• You will need to know what each of the Big Three wanted in detail, starting with:

Multiple Select

If you had to guess between France and America which wanted what based on how much they suffered in the war what would be the correct combination from below (Select two):

• Wilson (USA)- Revenge

• Clemencaeu (France)- Leniency

• Wilson (USA)- Leniency

• Clemeneau (France)- Revenge

Georges Clemenceau- Revenge

• Nicknamed “the Tiger” for his determination to punish Germany

• Strong backing from the French people

• Wanted to punish Germany and protect France from future German aggression. The war had:

  »Killed 1.4 million Frenchmen

  »Devastated thousands of square kilometres of farmland

  »Destroyed factories and homes

• Germany to pay huge compensation for the damage it had caused (reparations)

Clemencaeu (cont.)

• Wanted the Rhineland to be made an independent country as a ‘buffer zone’ between France and Germany

• Wanted Germany to be completely disarmed and the German army disbanded completely

• Wanted the return of Alsace- Lorraine (lost to Germany after the Frances defeat in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870-72)

• Wanted to humiliate Germany for the French defeat of 1872 in the Franco-Prussian War.

Open Ended

Do you think Clemencaeu was justified in wanting punish Germany so harshly? Why?

Multiple Choice

Why did Clemencaeu want to punish Germany?

• His country had suffered a great deal

• His country had suffered

• He was greedy

• His country had suffered little

David Lloyd George- Pragmatism

• Just won an election off of promises like: “hang the Kaiser!” and “squeeze them till the pips squeak!” as well as “make Germany pay!”

• •Wanted:

  1. Reduce German threat to the Royal Navy and British Empire

  2. Germany to be made a non-aggressive nation

  3. To strip Germany of her colonies

  4. Prevent Germany becoming so weak that she would never be able to trade again

Multiple Choice

Why was Lloyd George was concerned about reducing the power of the German navy?

• Germany had a powerful navy and it threatened the Royal Navy

• To ensure continued dominance of the seas

• Britain needed naval superiority to control it's vast empire.

• All of the above

Lloyd-George (cont.)

• 5. Prevent Germany from becoming so poor it turned to communism (think Russia 1917)

  6. Avoid humiliation of Germany so she may never seek revenge later

  7. Help secure France against Germany, but prevent France from becoming the dominant European nation

  8. Create a ‘balance of power’ so that no one nation can threaten Europe again

• 
  

Multiple Choice

Why was Lloyd George happy to punish Germany but also to ensure that she wasn't punished too harshly?

• His country had suffered but its trade relations with Germany were important for Britains recovery

• He wasn't a greedy man

• He liked communism

• His country has suffered greatly.

Woodrow Wilson- Idealism

• An idealist, he wanted peace based on his Fourteen Points

  US had suffered little in the war, he wanted the best outcome and sought no compensation (“peace without victory”)

• Wanted:

  1. To prevent future German aggression

  2. Punish Germany for her aggression but avoid heavy damages

  3. Base the Treaty on his Fourteen Points

Multiple Choice

Why do you think Wilson could afford to be so lenient and wasn't out for revenge?

• America was powerful, had joined late and suffered little.

• America was too powerful to care about European affairs

• He was a kind man

• He didn't like the French.

Wilson (cont.)

• •Fourteen Points; Main Ideas:

  –No secret treaties

  –All nations should reduce armed forces and weapons (disarm)

  –All people living under foreign rule should have the right to independence and their own government. Wilson called this ‘self determination’.

  –All countries should belong to a “league of nations” to protect the rights and independence of all states.

Open Ended

Look at some of the Fourteen Points I have listed before, do you think any of them are realistic? Why?