KEY FIGURES 
1). Woodrow Wilson: Born in 1856, this
"personal representative for the people" was elected president of the United
States in 1912. He took his job as president quite seriously, for he believed that it was
the sole duty of the president alone to look out for the general interests of the country.
During his term, he developed a progressive reform program known as the "New
Freedom". He also proved that he was not only skilled in handling domestic affairs,
but took on foreign leadership as well, in trying to build a new world order. While he
urged American neutrality during World War I, he found that American entrance into the war
was inevitable in order to make the world "safe for democracy." Determined to
end the war peacefully, he issued his "Fourteen Points" in January of 1918,
which stated the aims of America in World War I. His fourteenth point was the most
significant, for it called for a League of Nations which would prevent further European
mishaps. While his own colleagues in the Senate vetoed the idea, he received a Nobel Peace
Prize in 1920. Of the "Big Four" that convened in Paris to issue the peace
settlement of Versailles, Wilson was considered the most idealistic, because he wanted his
"Fourteen Points" to be fulfilled. On February 3, 1924, he suffered a stroke and
died, after years of ignoring doctors' warnings about his health.
2). Georges Clemenceau:
Clemenceau was born in a small section of France, called Mouilleran -en- Pareds,
in 1841. It was here that he was trained to be a doctor, and from there he left for the
United States to travel and teach. Upon returning to France, he was elected as mayor of a
section of Paris called Montmarte. In 1870, when Paris had to deal with aggressive German
invasion, Clemenceau was on the defense and helped to keep Paris away from German control.
His efforts led him to become premier in 1906 and under his leadership, France was
victorious during World War I. To him, "war is too important to be left
generals". In order to ensure victory, he suppressed basic civil liberties of all
civilians. For example, he punished journalists who wrote negatively about the war, by
drafting them to serve in the war. Clemenceau was one of the "Big Four" to take
part in the end- of- war resolutions. Presiding over the Paris Peace Conference, where the
peace settlement of Versailles was created, Clemenceau insisted that the Germans receive a
harsh punishment. Like his fellow Frenchmen, he believed that France had suffered greatly
under German aggression. Thus, he called for the demilitarization of Germany, extensive
German reparations to cover the costly war, as well as the creation of a new state called
the Rhineland, to serve as a barrier between the conflicting countries. His past
experiences with Germany made him seek revenge, and wanted France to be secure and away
from further conflicts. Georges Clemenceau died in 1929.
3). David Lloyd George:
On January 17, 1862, the great orator, David Lloyd George, was born in
Manchester, Great Britain. After serving as an apprentice, he opened his own private law
practice in 1884. Interested in politics and serving in the Liberals party, he was
actively involved in the development of a social welfare program which was funded by
taxing the upper class. His work led him to believe that his party would lose support
unless they appealed to the working class. He was especially moved by the Welsh coal
miners of Northern Wales, along with quarrymen and tenant farmers. Because of his
popularity and brilliance, he was elected to Parliament in 1890, and there he became even
more devoted to his social reform cause. At first, he was hesitant in entering the war.
However, once involved, he proved that he was no advocate of German policies. Demanding
the cooperation of the government, he served as Minister of Munitions during 1915 to 1916.
Successful in keeping the Western front supplied with shells and guns, he became Minister
of War and later was elected Prime Minister. Lloyd George was a key negotiator of the
"Big Four", in the Paris Peace Conference; he wanted Germany to pay for the
dreadful war because like most British people, he believed that only a total victory over
Germany would compensate for the war loss. However, he was unable to end the tensions
after World War I.
4). Vittorio Emanuele
Orlando: Born in Italy in 1860, this statesman participated in
the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, as one of the Big Four. He was determined to obtain
territorial compensation in Dalmatia on Italy's behalf. However, Wilson was strongly
opposed to this idea and after making little progress for Italy during the conference, he
temporarily left the Paris Peace Conference. Later on, when there was still much
resistance to his demands, he resigned as the premier. In 1925, he gave up his seat in
Parliament with the introduction of the new movement of Fascism, for he was opposed to its
policies. After World War II, he returned back to office and served as a senator. He died
in 1952.
5). Adolf Hitler:
This son of a custom's official was born on April 20, 1889. From the
beginning, Hitler's life was a total failure. After failing secondary school , he decided
to apply to an arts academy in Vienna. However, the arts academy rejected him and Hitler
decided to remain there and to continue to paint. Here at Vienna, Hitler established his
basic ideological views centering around racism and anti-Semitism. An extreme German
nationalist, Hitler believed in the survival of the fittest, which in his case, the
fittest was the Aryan race. During World War I, he served as a soldier and was highly
resentful of the Treaty of Versailles that was signed by all participating countries at
the end of the war. He believed that Germany did not deserve to be fully blamed for the
war. After the war, still angry, he joined the German Worker's Party, and later on, he
became the leader and changed its name to the National Socialist German Worker's Party,
a.k.a. the Nazi Party. Once the Nazi's fully controlled the Weimar Republic and had the
most seats in the Reichstag, the governing body of Germany, Hitler, as the head, initiated
his dictatorship. Motivated and determined to restore Germany to its glory, he swept the
country with numerous reforms, some of which included a mass murder of the Jewish race. However, his goals to augment Germany's
empire backfired and
after his defeat in World War II, he committed suicide, thus marking an end to his
totalitarian regime.