David lloyd george

David Lloyd George research papers are custom written for courses that are studying WWII or the Paris Peace Conference. Learn George's part in negotiations and his role in world history when Paper Masters custom writes you his biography.

Research Papers on David Lloyd George illustrate that George was also in favor of forcing Germany to admit responsibility for the war and to pay maximum reparations. Unlike Clemenceau, however, Lloyd George's motivation was purely political at the Paris Peace Conference. While Clemenceau argued for the safety of France, Lloyd George made his arguments in order to keep campaign promises.

The Campaign of David Lloyd George

During his campaign for the December 1919 elections, Lloyd George made several promises to the British people that he considered himself obligated to support in the negotiations. One of the foremost of these promises was that he would see that Germany paid the costs of war. Lloyd George won those elections, and did attend the conferences as the leader of the British delegation. However, he was bound by his own desire for political success.

Colonel House noted that he thought that Lloyd George, as an acknowledged liberal, may have desired to discard the war guilt clause. However, the success of a British Cabinet depends on a majority of support in the House of Commons. Without that support, Lloyd George would be forced to resign his position at the height of his political success. His frequent trips back to London to address the House made him quite aware that sentiment in the House was for punishment of Germany. In his own memoirs, Lloyd George maintained his belief in Germany's guilt and the fairness of the reparations agreement. Concerning war guilt, he stated:

Germany and her ally Austria has their case chosen- trial by battle- and lost. It was not the tribunal of our choosing. We had urged a peaceful conference to settle the issues in dispute between Austria and Serbia.

George's Support of the War

The British Prime Minister's support of the war reparations section was just as adamant. He argued that the Allies were lenient with Germany. In July 1919, he addressed the House of Commons regarding the Treaty. In his speech, he stated the following:

• The reparations would have been more severe had an international court ruled on the issue.
• George stated that forcing Germany to pay the entire costs of war would have been in accordance with international jurisprudence.
• As the Allies only required Germany to pay for the damage inflicted upon the Allied civilians, he felt that the reparations agreement was quite lenient, no matter the effect on the German economy.