Big Four (World War I)

Four top Allied powers of World War I

The Council of Four from left to right: David Lloyd George, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Georges Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson in Versailles.

The Big Four or the Four Nations refer to the four top Allied powers of World War I[1] and their leaders who met at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919. The Big Four is also known as the Council of Four. It was composed of Georges Clemenceau of France, David Lloyd George of the United Kingdom, Vittorio Emanuele Orlando of Italy, and Woodrow Wilson of the United States.

Among the Big Four, only Clemenceau could speak and understand both English and French. Orlando didn't know English, while Lloyd George and Wilson didn't know French. Therefore Orlando and Wilson had no direct means of communication. [2]

## Georges Clemenceau

[edit]

Georges Clemenceau, Prime Minister of France

Georges Benjamin Clemenceau (French pronunciation: [ʒɔʁʒ klemɑ̃so]; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929) was a French politician, physician, and journalist. He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909, and again from 1917 to 1920. He is commonly nicknamed "Le Tigre" (The Tiger) and "Père-la-Victoire" (Father Victory) for his determination as a wartime leader.

Succeeding Paul Painlevé as premier in November 1917, Clemenceau formed a coalition cabinet in which he was also minister of war. He renewed the dispirited morale of France, persuaded the allies to agree to a unified command, and pushed the war vigorously until the final victory. Leading the French delegation at the Paris Peace Conference, Clemenceau insisted on Germany's disarmament and was never satisfied with the Versailles Treaty. He was the main antagonist of Woodrow Wilson, whose ideas he viewed as "too idealistic."[3] For nearly the final year of World War One, he led France and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference (1919) in the aftermath of the war. Clemenceau was hoping that there would be more punishment put on Germany after they lost.

## David Lloyd George

[edit]

David Lloyd George, former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.

David Lloyd George, (17 January 1863 – 26 March 1945) from the British Liberal Party, was a highly effective leader of the coalition government that took power in late 1916 and managed the British war effort. However his coalition premiership was supported more by Conservatives than by his own Liberals, and the subsequent split was a key factor in the decline of the Liberal Party as a serious political force.[4]

He won by a landslide in the election of 1918, held just after the war ended, where he spoke out for harsh terms against Germany. However, he was much more moderate in Paris. Unlike Clemenceau and Orlando, Lloyd George did not want to destroy the German economy and political system—as Clemenceau demanded—with massive reparations. When asked how he had done at the peace conference, he commented, "Not badly, considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon [Wilson and Clemenceau]."[5]

It has been said that "Lloyd George was the most affable and the most resilient, and he was probably the best at negotiating".[6] In an article from the New York Times, it says that "Lloyd George was a pragmatist determined to protect and expand the interests of the British Empire."[6]

## Vittorio Emanuele Orlando

[edit]

Vittorio Emanuele Orlando, Prime Minister of Italy

Vittorio Emanuele Orlando (19 May 1860 – 1 December 1953) was an Italian diplomat and political figure. He was born in Palermo, Sicily, and taught law. He is commonly nicknamed "The Premier of Victory".

In 1897 he was elected in the Italian Chamber of Deputies (Italian: Camera dei Deputati) for the district of Partinico for which he was constantly re-elected until 1925. He aligned himself with Giovanni Giolitti, who was Prime Minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921.

As Prime Minister of Italy, he went to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919. He demanded the fulfilment of the "secret" Treaty of London of 1915, by which Britain and France had promised Italy ample territorial compensation for its entry into World War I.[7] Wilson agreed to the Italian annexation of Trento, South Tyrol, Trieste and Istria, but opposed the Italian annexation of Dalmatia. Clashing with Wilson, Orlando left the Peace Conference. However, he returned after a short period and concluded the negotiations. The so-called "mutilated victory" was used as propaganda by Gabriele d'Annunzio and played a role in the rise of Benito Mussolini. Opposing Fascism, Orlando gave up (1925) his seat in parliament and devoted himself to teaching and writing."[7]

Aside from his prominent political role, Orlando is also known for his writings, over a hundred works, on legal and judicial issues; Orlando was himself a professor of law.

He was among the fathers of the Republican Constitution, being a member of the Constitutional Assembly also as speaker of the house. He was a candidate to be the first Italian President elected by the Parliament.

## Woodrow Wilson

[edit]

Portrait of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the President of the United States of America, 1919.

Woodrow Wilson (28 December 1856 – 3 February 1924) was elected President of the United States based on domestic issues in 1912, and re-elected in 1916. He based his 1916 re-election campaign around the slogan "he kept us out of war", and had worked hard to broker a compromise peace. In early 1917 Berlin decided to launch all-out submarine warfare designed to sink American ships bringing supplies to Britain; in the Zimmermann Telegram it proposed a military alliance with Mexico to fight a war against the US. The nation was poorly armed when it went to war in April 1917, but it had millions of potential fresh soldiers, billions of dollars, and huge supplies of raw materials needed by the Allies. Officially Wilson kept the US independent of the Allies.

In 1918 Wilson took personal control of negotiations with Germany, including the armistice. He issued his Fourteen Points, his view of a post-war world that could avoid another terrible conflict. It had an enormous impact on both sides in Europe and made him the man of the hour in Paris. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he assembled a high-powered group of academic advisors to help him in Paris but his distrustful personality led him to break with a series of close advisors, most notably Colonel House. He made a major blunder by refusing to bring along any prominent Republicans to Paris, which politicised the American debate and weakened his support. His main goal was a long-term solution to end warfare based on the League of Nations and self-determination of nations. He paid special attention to creating new nations out of defunct empires and was opposed to harsh terms and reparations imposed on Germany. A Presbyterian of deep religious faith, Wilson appealed to a gospel of service and infused a profound sense of moralism into his idealistic internationalism, now referred to as "Wilsonianism". Wilsonianism calls for the United States to enter the world arena to fight for democracy, and has been a contentious position in American foreign policy.[8]

## Purpose

[edit]

While the Allies at the Paris Peace Conference made up more than twenty nations, the Big Four entered Versailles and were leading architects of the Treaty of Versailles which was signed by Germany;[9] the Treaty of Saint-Germain, with Austria; the Treaty of Neuilly, with Bulgaria; the Treaty of Trianon, with Hungary; and the Treaty of Sèvres, with the Ottoman Empire.[10] At one point Orlando temporarily[11] pulled out of the conference because Italian demands were not met, leaving the other three countries as the sole major architects of the talk, referred to as the "Big Three".[12] The Italian delegation returned after 11 days.[13] Mr. Maurice Hankey was the council's sole secretary and took minutes.[14]

## See also

[edit]

* The Heavenly Twins
* Big Three (World War II)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Leaders of the Big Four nations meet for the first time in Paris". history.com. 16 November 2009.
2. ^ Keynes, J. M. (1920). "Footnote of Chapter III The Conference". The Economic Consequences of the Peace.
3. ^ Georges Clemenceau. (2011). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.
4. ^ Thomas Jones, Lloyd George (1951) pp 165–78 online Archived 5 May 2020 at the Wayback Machine
5. ^ Sean Dennis Cashman (1988). America in the Age of the Titans: The Progressive Era and World War I. NYU Press. p. 526\. ISBN 9780814714119.
6. ^ a b ALAN, R. (16 November 2002). When Peace Did Not Go Unpunished. New York Times. p. 7.
7. ^ a b Vittorio Emanuele Orlando. (2011). Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th Edition, 1.
8. ^ John Milton Cooper, "Woodrow Wilson: A Biography" (2011) ch 20–21
9. ^ "The Treaty of Versailles". History Learning Site.
10. ^ Beck, Roger B.; Linda Black; Larry S. Krieger; Phylip C. Caylor; Dahia Ibo Shabaka (1999). World History: Patterns of Interaction. Evanston, Illinois: McDougal Littell. pp. 760. ISBN 0-395-87274-X.
11. ^ "Italian delegates return to Paris peace conference". history.com. 5 November 2009.
12. ^ "The Treaty of Versailles". History Learning Site., See the part:The attitude towards Germany of the "Big Three"："The "Big Three" were David Lloyd George of Britain, Clemenceau of France and Woodrow Wilson of America."
13. ^ MacMillan, Margaret (2003). Paris 1919. United States of America: Random House Trade. pp. 36, 306, 431. ISBN 0-375-76052-0.
14. ^ Lloyd George, David, "The Truth About the Peace Treaties, Vol. I", London: Gollancz, 1938, pg. 214

## Further reading

[edit]

* Cooper, John Milton. Breaking the Heart of the World: Woodrow Wilson and the Fight for the League of Nations (2010) excerpt and text search
* Macmillan, Margaret. Paris 1919: Six Months That Changed the World (2003) excerpt and text search
* Sharp, Alan (2011). Consequences of Peace: The Versailles Settlement: Aftermath and Legacy 1919–2010. Haus Publishing. ISBN 978-1905791743.
* Stevenson, David (1998). "France at the Paris Peace Conference: Addressing the Dilemmas of Security". In Robert W. D. Boyce (ed.). French Foreign and Defence Policy, 1918–1940: The Decline and Fall of a Great Power. London: Routledge. ISBN 978-0-415-15039-2.

* v
* t
* e

Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)

League of Nations|

* Covenant of the League of Nations
* Members
* Organisation
* Minority Treaties
* Little Treaty of Versailles
* Mandates

Treaty of Versailles|

* "War guilt" clause
* Reparations
* Reparation Commission
* Dawes Plan
* Hague conference on reparations
* Young Plan
* Lausanne Conference
* Locarno
* Stresa Front
* Possible cause of the Second World War
* International Opium Convention

Subsequent treaties|

* Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye
* Treaty of Neuilly-sur-Seine
* Treaty of Trianon

Treaty of Sèvres|

* Partition of the Ottoman Empire
* Conference of London (1920)
* San Remo conference
* Turkish National Movement
* Turkish War of Independence
* Treaty of Lausanne

Other|

* Big Four
* American Commission to Negotiate Peace
* Commission of Responsibilities
* The Inquiry
* List of participants

Paintings|

* A Peace Conference at the Quai d'Orsay
* The Signing of Peace in the Hall of Mirrors
* To the Unknown British Soldier in France

* v
* t
* e

David Lloyd George

Premiership|

* 1916–1922

General elections|

* 1918
* 1922
* 1929
* 1931
* 1935

Career|

* 1890 Caernarvon Boroughs by-election
* People's Budget (1909)
* Marconi scandal (1912)
* Shell Crisis (1915)
* Minister of Munitions
* Maurice Debate (1918)
* Clemenceau–Lloyd George Agreement (1918)
* Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920)
* Fontainebleau Memorandum (1919)
* Treaty of Versailles (1919)
* Genoa Conference (1922)
* Chanak Crisis (1922)
* Carlton Club meeting (1922)

Parties|

* Liberal Party
* National Liberal Party (1922)
* Independent Liberals (1931)

Constituency|

* Carnarvon Boroughs

Family|

* Margaret Lloyd George (wife)
* Frances Stevenson (second wife)
* Richard Lloyd George (son)
* Gwilym Lloyd George (son)
* Olwen Carey Evans (daughter)
* Megan Lloyd George (daughter)
* William George (brother)

Cultural depictions|

* The Life Story of David Lloyd George (film, 1918)
* The Edwardians
* Edward the Seventh (TV, 1975)
* The Life and Times of David Lloyd George (TV, 1981)
* Number 10 (TV, 1983)
* Anzacs (TV, 1985)
* A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia (TV, 1990)
* The Treaty (TV, 1991)
* Mosley (TV, 1998)
* The Lost Prince (TV, 2003)
* Parliament Square statue

Related articles|

* Big Four
* Britain's Industrial Future
* Bron-y-de
* Tŷ Newydd
* Grave of David Lloyd George
* Lloyd George Museum
* Lloyd George Society
* Coalition Coupon
* Lloyd George Knew My Father
* Lloyd George's Beer Song
* The Garden Suburb
* Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Woodrow Wilson

* 28th President of the United States (1913–1921)
* 34th Governor of New Jersey (1911–1913)
* 13th President of Princeton University (1902–1910)

Presidency
(timeline)|

* Transition
* 1913 inauguration
* 1917 inauguration
* Roosevelt desk
* Judicial appointments
* Supreme Court nominees
* Louis Brandeis Supreme Court nomination
* Cabinet
* 1919 Nobel Peace Prize
* 19th Amendment
* Silent Sentinels
* Woman Suffrage Procession
* State of the Union Address 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* 1917
* 1918
* 1920
* Harding transition

| Foreign policy|

* Wilsonianism
* Bryan–Chamorro Treaty (1914)
* Occupation of Haiti (1915–1934)
* Occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–1924)
* Army Appropriations Act of 1916
* Council of National Defense
* Philippine Autonomy Act (1916)
* World War I
* 1917–1918; entry
* campaigns
* home front
* Committee on Public Information
* Four Minute Men
* Fourteen Points
* The Inquiry
* American Commission to Negotiate Peace
* Armistice of 11 November 1918
* Espionage Act of 1917
* Immigration Act of 1917
* Selective Service Act of 1917
* Immigration Act of 1918
* Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918
* National War Labor Board (1918)
* Sedition Act of 1918
* Wartime Measure Act of 1918
* Paris Peace Conference
* 1919–1920; Racial Equality Proposal
* Pueblo speech (1919)
* Treaty of Versailles
* 1919; Big Four
* League of Nations
* 1920; charter
* Wilsonian Armenia (1920)

|

New Freedom|

* Federal racial segregation
* Federal Reserve Act
* 1913; Federal Reserve
* Newlands Labor Act
* 1913; Board of Mediation and Conciliation
* Raker Act (1913)
* Revenue Act of 1913
* Federal income tax
* Rivers and Harbors Acts
* 1913
* 1914
* 1915
* 1916
* Sabath Act (1913)
* Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914
* Cotton Futures Act of 1914
* Cutter Service Act (1914)
* Emergency Internal Revenue Tax Act (1914)
* Federal Trade Commission Act of 1914
* Federal Trade Commission
* Glacier National Park Act of 1914
* Legislative Reference Service (1914)
* Smith–Lever Act of 1914
* War Risk Insurance Act (1914)
* Locomotive Inspection Act (1915)
* National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (1915)
* Occupancy Permits Act (1915)
* Adamson Act (1916)
* Brush Disposal Act of 1916
* Cotton Futures Act of 1916
* Federal Aid Road Act of 1916
* Federal Employees' Compensation Act (1916)
* Federal Farm Loan Act
* 1916; Farm Credit System
* Federal Farm Loan Board
* Flag Day (1916)
* Fraudulent Advertising Act of 1916
* Keating–Owen Act (1916)
* National Park Service Organic Act
* 1916; National Park Service
* Revenue Act of 1916
* Rural Post Roads Act of 1916
* Smith Act (1916)
* Stock-Raising Homestead Act (1916)
* United States Grain Standards Act of 1916
* Warehouse Act of 1916
* Wildlife Game Refuges Act of 1916
* Flood Control Act of 1917
* Smith–Hughes Act
* 1917; U.S. Federal Board for Vocational Education
* United States Railroad Administration
* 1917; USRA standard
* War Revenue Act of 1917
* Revenue Act of 1918
* Acadia National Park Act of 1919
* Grand Canyon Park Act of 1919
* Red Summer (1919)
* Wheat Price Guarantee Act (1919)
* Esch–Cummins Act
* 1920; Railroad Labor Board
* Federal Power Act
* 1920; Federal Power Commission
* Merchant Marine Act of 1920
* Mineral Leasing Act of 1920

Life|

* Birthplace and Presidential Library
* papers and manuscripts
* Boyhood home in Georgia
* Boyhood home in South Carolina
* Princeton University president
* Summer White House (Harlakenden
* Shadow Lawn)
* Woodrow Wilson House
* Gravesite

Books|

* Congressional Government (1900)
* When a Man Comes to Himself (1901)
* The New Freedom (1913)

Elections|

* 1910 New Jersey gubernatorial election
* 1912 Democratic National Convention
* 1912 U.S. presidential election
* 1916 Democratic National Convention
* 1916 U.S. presidential election

Legacy
(memorials)|

* Bibliography
* Woodrow Wilson Awards
* Woodrow Wilson Foundation
* Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars
* The Wilson Quarterly
* Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs
* High schools
* Woodrow Wilson Junior College
* Celestial Sphere Woodrow Wilson Memorial
* Woodrow Wilson (Austin statue)
* Wilson Square (Warsaw)
* Woodrow Wilson Monument (Prague)
* Woodrow Wilson Bridge
* Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
* Mount Wilson (Vermont)
* SS President Wilson
* U.S. Postage stamps
* United States one-hundred-thousand-dollar bill

Popular
culture|

* Wilson (1944 film)
* Profiles in Courage (1965 series)
* Backstairs at the White House (1979 miniseries)
* Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of the American Century (2002 documentary)
* Wilson (2013 book)
* Suffs (2022 musical)

Family|

* Ellen Axson Wilson (wife, 1885–1914, death)
* Edith Bolling Wilson (wife, 1915–1924)
* Margaret Wilson (daughter, acting first lady)
* Jessie Wilson Sayre (daughter)
* Eleanor Wilson McAdoo (daughter)
* Francis Sayre Jr. (grandson)
* Joseph Ruggles Wilson (father)
* James Wilson (grandfather)
* Helen Woodrow Bones (cousin, secretary)
* William McAdoo (son-in-law)

Related|

* Progressive Era
* Jefferson Literary and Debating Society
* Woodrow Wilson and race

* ← William Howard Taft
* Warren G. Harding →

* Category

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template