On November 11th, 1918, an armistice symbolizing the end of The Great War was signed. As the armistice ended the violence that The Great War had caused, it couldn't be left unaccounted for. The Paris Peace conference was held in 1919, for this very reason. The 3 major leaders at this conference were, USA represented by Woodrow Wilson, France represented by Georges Clemenceau, and Britain represented by David Lloyd George. The 3 powers had varying opinions on peace, and an agreement proved to be very difficult. Woodrow Wilson was an idealist; he pursued noble principles. Georges Clemenceau was a realist; he was pragmatic and believed in hard evidence. David Lloyd George was a curious case; he came into the conference as a realist, but left as an idealist. .
Woodrow Wilson was a dreamer; he saw how the world could be a better place. He believed Germany should be punished in a way that led to European reconciliation, as opposed to opposed to unfair punishment based on revenge. Wilson's idealistic perspective was summarized into 14 points. His 14 points outlined his intentions for self-determination, the restoration of Belgium, the return of Alsace Lorraine to France, and the formation of the League of Nations. While Woodrow Wilson disagreed with Clemenceau and Lloyd-George on many propositions, and he had to accept their demand for reparations. He was able to limit the reparations, by bargaining on what the total cost of the war was. The finished treaty had traces of Wilson`s 14 points, but they were mostly missing. Woodrow Wilson presented fair and viable propositions, yet many of them were disregarded. .
Georges Clemenceau had a single motive; to cripple Germany to the point where it could never start a war again. Georges Clemenceau reflected the views of the French public. He wanted to bankrupt, disarm, and isolate Germany, so that France would never be in danger of assault from Germany again.
