Paris Peace Conference Editorial

I attended the Paris Peace Conference, which was held on January 18th,
1919. The Conference was run by the four victorious powers; the men
collectively known as the Big Four. This included Georges Clemenceau (prime
minister of France), Woodrow Wilson (president of the United States), David
Lloyd George (prime minister of Great Britain), and Vittorio Orlando (prime
minister of Italy). Germany and its allies were not directly involved in the
negotiations that took place at the Paris Peace Conference. They were invited
in only after the terms of the Treaty were completed by the Big Four. The Big
Four had separate agendas and vastly different national interests in mind
when dealing with a defeated Germany.
Clemenceau clearly wanted revenge. He wanted to protect France
against future German aggression, so he aimed to damage Germany to such
an extent that it would be unable to wage another war. Lloyd George had
promised the British people that Germany would pay for damages incurred
because of the war. He also wanted to make sure that Britain could maintain
access to its colonies, and that a powerful German navy would not threaten
that access. Italy was originally part of the Triple Alliance with Germany.
Trieste, Trentino, and the Dalmatia coast were promised to Italy by the Allies,
so in 1915, they joined the Allies. Orlando was at the Conference to ensure
that this promise of land was written in the Treaty that was to come. Wilson
was on the opposite end of the spectrum regarding the treatment of
Germany. He did not feel that punishing and humiliating Germany was the

key to long-term peace. Instead, his hope was to create a humane treaty
with Germany. In the end, Clemenceaus and Lloyd Georges demand for
revenge and punishment won out over Wilsons appeal for a fair and just
peace. The victors chose to pursue perceived national interests rather than
international interests, and they created the Treaty of Versailles. After having
failed to obtain lands for Italy, Orlando resigned after the treaties signing.
The Treaty of Versailles was one of the specific treaties negotiated by
the Big Four. It stated that Germanys army was to be reduced to 100 000
men, and no tanks. Germanys navy was also to be reduced and would not
be permitted to build submarines. There would be no Germany air force at
all. Alsace-Lorraine was to be returned to France, and Germany lost all
colonies in Africa, China, and islands in the Pacific Ocean. The Rhineland, a
region on both sides of the Rhine River in western Germany, was to be
demilitarized. Union with Austria was forbidden. Germany also had to
recognize the new countries of Poland and Czechoslovakia, and Germany had
to sign Article 231, the war guilt clause. This stated that Germany and its
allies were responsible for the outbreak of the First World War. Further, a
Reparations Commission determined that Germany had to pay US $33 billion
in reparations for death and damages incurred by the victorious nations
during the war.
While I agree that Germany needed some of their power taken away, I
dont agree with the extent to which the Big Four decided to humiliate them.

I strongly lean towards the opinion of President Woodrow Wilson. I agree that
Germany needs to recognize that much of the land is no longer theirs;
however, I believe that punishing Germany is not the way to deal with the
situation. Punishing Germany will only give them more reason to fight again
if they ever claim back their power. Also, since Germany is said to be the
cause of World War One, they have made a lot of enemies. Ripping away the
majority of their defense mechanisms could become disastrous if one of the
enemy countries decides to seek revenge on the now collapsed Germany.
Restricting Germanys army to only 100 000 men, reducing their navy, and
ripping away their air force wasnt necessary, and could only possibly lead to
the further destruction of Germany if another country takes advantage of
their weakness. Therefore, I believe that President Woodrow should have
pushed his point harder, and helped make the Treaty of Versailles less
punishing towards Germany.