Lesson : WW1 - The Paris Peace Conference I- : Making Peace ...

Lesson 4 dnl: unité 1 H thème 1: la première guerre mondiale, vers une guerre totale
Source Vidéo : http://youtu.be/ShRA8HRMR4Q : the Paris peace conference
Fiche élève:
Lesson : WW1 - The Paris Peace Conference
I- : Making Peace
On 11 November 1918, Germany had signed a cease-fire. It was called ‘the Armistice’. The
Germans could not fight any longer. But they did not think they had surrendered!
On 18 January 1919, delegates from 32 countries came to Paris to make the treaties which
would end the war. President Wilson of the USA gave a speech expressing his desire 'to lift
from the shoulders of humanity the frightful weight' of the War. British Prime Minister Lloyd
George told the delegates that 'the world is thirsting for peace ... and they will not forgive
us too long delays'.
The conference was not initially intended to be the conference which determined the peace -
it was originally conceived as a pre-meeting at which the victors could meet to agree what
they would collectively demand of Germany at a peace conference which was meant to
follow. However, as time went on, and more and more people converged on Paris to try to
have their say in the proceedings, the pre-Conference turned into the actual Peace
Conference, and its decisions became binding.
Unlike other treaties in history, therefore, the Treaty of Versailles was not negotiated
between Germany and the Allies. Germany was not allowed to send any delegates. Only the
Allies were invited to the Conference - and they imposed their terms upon Germany. This
was 'the Diktat' so resented by the Germans.
Exercise 1:
Imagine you were a German in Paris in January 1919, which FOUR things concerning the
start of the conference would have outraged you ?
II-The Aims of ‘the Big Three’
The three most important men at the Versailles Conference - ‘the Big Three’ - were:
• Georges Clemenceau, the Prime Minister of France.
• Woodrow Wilson, the President of America.
• David Lloyd George, the Prime Minister of Britain.
All three men wanted to prevent the War from happening ever again,
but they did not agree about how to do this. They expected different
things from peace, and they did not get on well.

Exercise 2 : Complete the missing words :
Georges Clemenceau
He was the ………………………………………………….. of France.
He wanted …………………………………, and to ………………………………….. the Germans for what they
had done.
He wanted to ………………………………………………….for the damage done during the war.
He also wanted to weaken Germany, so France would never be ……………………………….. again.
Woodrow Wilson
He was ……………………………………. America.
He was a History professor. He wanted to make the world …………………..He wanted
to end war by making a ………………… peace.
In 1918, Wilson published ‘………………………………………’ saying what he wanted.
He said that he wanted disarmament, and a ……………………………. of Nations (where
countries could talk out their problems, without war).
He also promised self-determination for the peoples of Eastern Europe.
David Lloyd George
He was ………………………………………… of Great Britain.
He said he would ‘make Germany pay’ – because he knew that was what the British people
wanted to hear.
He wanted ‘justice’, but he did not want ……………………….. He said that the peace must
not be ………………………….. – that would just cause another ……………. in a few years
time.He tried to get a ‘halfway point’ – a compromise between Wilson and Clemenceau.
He ALSO wanted to expand the British Empire, maintain British control of the seas, and
increase Britain's trade
III- the main points of the treaty : (Summary)
On 28 June 1919, the Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany. The Germans had not been allowed to send any
delegates, and had to accept whatever was decided. The Treaty had five main points:
By Clause 231, Germany had to accept the blame for starting the war.
Germany’s military power was reduced.Germany was not allowed to have submarines or an air force. It could have an
army of only 100,000 men and a navy of only 6 ships, and it was not allowed to place any troops in the Rhineland.
Germany had to pay £6,600 million ‘reparations’ for damage done.
Germany lost land. The Saar coalfield was given to France for 15 years, and Alsace-Lorraine given back to France.
Danzig became a free city, and Poland was given a ‘corridor’ to the Baltic Sea. Germany was not allowed to unite with
Austria. Finally, Germany’s colonies were given to France or Britain.
Germany was not allowed to join the League of Nations.

Fiche professeur:
Video :
FROM THE BEGINNIG TO 1mn20
End of the war
Armistice was signed / joy /Destructions /deaths- to pay the price of peace
Here in Versailles that the peace was signed
First Task :
1- Germany had signed a cease-fire, it wasn’t a surrender
2- The peace conference became the actual peace conference. Its decisions
became binding ( voc)
3- There had been no negotiation between Germany and the allies
4- Germany was not allowed to send any delegates
5- The allies imposed their terms upon Germany
Video :
From 1,20 mn to 2,55 mn :
The big three :Pt Wilson, Clemenceau and Georges
Clemenceau : revenge, reparations for the damages, garantees that the War could never happen
again
Video from 2,55 mn to 3,45 mn
Wilson : a just and lasting peace - not punishment - 14 points for the peace - no more secret
diplomacy - reduction in armements - A league of nations to protect all the countries from
aggression
Video : from 3,45m n to 4,31 mn
Lloyd George : didn’t want to destroy Germany - Germany should become strong, a trade patner,
He wanted to avoid thousands of refugees because of poverty, starvation…because of communism..
Exercise 2 : Complete the missing words
Video : from 5,34mn to the end
After three months of discussion, they presented the terms of the treaty to the Germans
Germany lost land in the East, West and the North -In the East, a corridor to the Baltic was given to
the Poland, separating the East Prussia from the rest of Germany -On the West, France took back
Alsace and Lorraine -Sarre under control of SDN -Coalfields given to France for 15 years
Rhineland occupied by allies -Army reduced, no air force, no submarines -A compromise, no one
was comptletely satisfied
Annabel Guyon Collège F,Bazille – Castelnau le Lez