Question

What were the objectives of the chief participants at the paris peace conference of 1919, and how closely did the final settlement reflect these objectives?

Answer 1

The Paris Peace Conference was a meeting between the Allied Powers on how to handle the end of World War I. In this meeting, the three most influential voices were France, Great Britain, and the United States. All three different countries had unique ideas on what should happen to Germany after World War I.

The United States did not want to financially punish Germany.

The British did want to punish Germany financially. However, they wanted them strong enough to still be able to trade.

France however, wanted Germany to pay for all the damage caused during World War I. France was one of the countries that suffered the most damage from this war, hence why they were so insistent on Germany paying the price for the war.

In the end, Germany is forced to pay over $100 billion in damages for World War I and were forced to take responsibility for starting the war. This plan most accurately reflected France's idea on how to punish the Germans.