From Fourteen Points to Versailles
The aims of the peacemakers after the First World War: the armistice, Wilson and his Fourteen Points, and how the differing aims of the Big Three shaped the road to the Treaty of Versailles.
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Making the peace
When the First World War ended in 1918, the winning countries had to agree how to treat a defeated Germany. Their leaders met near Paris in 1919. They did not all want the same thing, and the peace they made grew out of their arguments. This module looks at their aims, from Wilson and his Fourteen Points to the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
Peacemaking words
Learn these four terms before you study the aims of the leaders.
Two very different wars
The leaders wanted different things partly because their countries had suffered so differently.
Why they disagreed
A top answer explains that the three leaders disagreed because their countries had different experiences and needs. It then judges each leader against what the treaty actually did, one by one, rather than treating the peacemakers as a single group who all wanted the same thing.
Match the aim
- Woodrow Wilson
- Georges Clemenceau
- David Lloyd George
- the Paris conference
- a fairer peace and a League of Nations
- revenge and security against Germany
- a middle course between the other two
- where the leaders met to make peace
Match the term
- reparations
- diktat
- disarmament
- the Big Three
- money paid for the damage caused by the war
- a settlement forced on a country with no say
- reducing a country weapons and armed forces
- Wilson, Clemenceau and Lloyd George together
Who wanted revenge?
Which leader most wanted revenge on Germany and security for his own country?
- Georges Clemenceau of France.
- Woodrow Wilson of the USA.
- David Lloyd George of Britain.
- None of the leaders wanted that.
Pick Wilson aims
Select the TWO aims that were part of Wilson Fourteen Points.
- Freedom of the seas for shipping.
- Countries reducing their weapons.
- Taking revenge on Germany.
- Building a larger empire.
Build the timeline
Put these events in the order they happened, earliest first.
- Wilson sets out his Fourteen Points
- The fighting stops with the armistice
- The Paris Peace Conference opens
- The Treaty of Versailles is signed
Complete the story
The fighting stopped in 1918 with the _____. The American president was Woodrow _____. The French leader wanted _____ on Germany. The three main leaders were known as the Big _____. The peace was finally settled by the Treaty of _____.
Count the years
Some historians ask whether this peace helped cause another war. The First World War ended in 1918 and the Second World War began in 1939. How many years were there between 1918 and 1939? Subtract 1918 from 1939.
Find the leaders
Tap the TWO leaders who came from France and the USA.
- Georges Clemenceau
- Woodrow Wilson
- David Lloyd George
- Kaiser Wilhelm
Whose aim is it?
Read each description of a leader and choose who it is.
- His country was invaded and badly damaged, so he wanted Germany punished and made weak
- His country joined late and suffered less, so he wanted a fairer peace and a League of Nations
- He wanted to punish Germany but still keep it as a trading partner, steering a middle course
Explain the aims
Explain the aims of the Big Three at the Paris Peace Conference. For each leader, describe what he wanted and how his country experience of the war shaped that aim.
- Describe what Woodrow Wilson wanted and why
- Describe what Georges Clemenceau wanted and why
- Describe what David Lloyd George wanted and why