France, Britain, and the United States Remake the World

This image, which appeared on the cover of a French magazine in early 1919, highlights a fundamental truth about the Paris Peace Conference. For all the talk about world peace and the need to include all nations in the negotiations, France, Britain, and the United States dominated the conference. They were “the three great creators of the new world,” and it was their needs, ambitions, and fears that would determine the shape of that world. The image also reveals something of the tensions that existed between the Allies from the start, with the three Allied leaders appearing as anything but trusting friends. As you examine the image, consider what it reveals about French public opinion as the peace conference got under way. What hopes and fears does the image reveal?

READING AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS