THE VERSAILLES TREATY

Why did the victors not get everything they wanted ?

 The big 3 wanted different outcomes regarding the treatment of Germany

 Clemenceau wanted a harsh treaty , Lloyd George wanted a moderate peace
 It was difficult to devise a settlement that would please all parties
 However each of the 3 still received what they wanted
France
 The treaty satisfied a number of Clemenceau’s demands
 1. Alsace – Lorraine
 2. She got some of Germany colonies eg Cameroon and Togo
 3.She was the major recipient of German reparations
 4. Being secure on the Eastern frontier provided Ger kept or was forced to keep the military
terms of the treaty
 5. Depriving Germany a significant proportion of her land , population and resources which
reduced its economic and military capacity eg Germany lost 13% of its European land and 75%
of its iron deposits
 However he was worried that this might not be enough to punish Ger
 He feared that Ger might recover her strength and seek changes to the treaty
 To protect against this he wanted a Treaty of Guarantee with the Allied powers
 This would mean that Brit & Fr would be committed to help Fr in the case of future Ger
aggression
 The treaty failed to materialize because US Congress refused to approve the peace settlement
and USA withdrew into diplomatic isolation. Brit was not willing to provide any guarantee on
her own
Britain
 She was the most satisfied of the peacemakers
 L George wanted a moderate peace which would allow the European economy to revive and
that is what he largely achieved
 He did not like some features of the treaty such as the placing German ppl under French and
Polish rule
 His achievements were that he successfully persuaded Clemenceau a moderate approach
toward Ger by offering him an Anglo/American guarantee against future German aggression
 He directly promoted British interests by extending her colonies , adding an additional 1, 8
million square miles
 He felt that the Versailles treaty punished Ger without destroying its economy or ability to
contribute to the future prosperity of Europe. This was good for British business and reassuring
to those who feared the westward spread of Communism.