GCSE Modern History/The Big Three

The Big Three after World War One. These were the main politicians in the winning countries. They all went to the negotiations of the Treaty of Versailles.

Who Were The Big Three

The Big Three consisted of three main politicians Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George (Britain) and Woodrow Wilson (USA).

Clemenceau

Clemenceau was popular in France and was the prime minister up until the election after the negotiations. He has the nickname 'The Tiger' for his aggressive political beliefs. His aim was to cripple Germany so that it could never start a war again. As the agreed terms of the Treaty of Versailles were not seen as harsh enough by the people of France, he was not voted in at the next election.

Lloyd George

Lloyd George was the British Prime minister. He wanted a settlement that was just and, similar to the views of Wilson, would create a lasting Peace. However, he was pressured by the people of Britain to be less lenient than he would have wanted to be. He feared that another war would start if the terms were too harsh.

Wilson

Wilson was the president of America. He was the most liberalistic of the three. He wanted a settlement that was not too hard on Germany. His other main aim was to create a League of Nations. This was set up, but due to congress not ratifying the treaty of versailles, the USA never joined. When Wilson introduce a separate bill to join to congress it was refused by 43 to 39. He suffered a stroke and stepped down from being president, which has been put down the stresses of his campaign to join the league.