Clemenceau

"The Tiger," the prime minister who led France to victory in World War I and shaped the Treaty of Versailles.

Life

Physician and journalist

Clemenceau, originally a physician, was a Radical republican politician famous for his sharp tongue and for repeatedly bringing down cabinets, earning the nickname "The Tiger." During the Dreyfus Affair, L'Aurore, the newspaper he edited, published Zola's J'accuse in Dreyfus's defense.

The Tiger

He first served as prime minister from 1906 to 1909. In 1917, as World War I entered its hardest phase, he became prime minister again at seventy-six. He purged defeatism, made frequent visits to the front and held to "I have only one policy: I wage war." He backed Foch as unified commander of the Allied armies and led France to final victory.

Father of Victory

In 1919 he presided over the Paris Peace Conference, pressed for harsh punishment of Germany and brought about the Treaty of Versailles. After losing the presidential election in 1920 he retired from politics, and he died in 1929.

Legacy

Clemenceau was called the "Father of Victory" by the French, but the harsh terms the Treaty of Versailles imposed on Germany also sowed the seeds of the next world war.

Did you know? In his later years he made a famous remark: "War is too important to be left to the generals." (Some attribute it to others.)

Key dates

• 1898Publishes Zola's J'accuse
• 1906First Prime Minister
• 1917Prime Minister again
• 1918Victory in World War I
• 1919Presides over the Paris Peace Conference
• 1929Died