"You hold in your hands the future of the world." ~ Raymond Poincaré, President of France ("The Evening Missourian", January 18, 1919, Chronicling America)
"The Evening Missourian", January 18, 1919, Chronicling America
Peace delegates in the Hall of the Clock, 1919, Library of Congress
The Big Four
Woodrow Wilson (US President), Britannica
David Lloyd George (British Prime Minister), Britannica
Georges Clemenceau (French Premier), Britannica
Vittorio Orlando (Italian Prime Minister), Britannica
The Big Four consisted of leaders from the top four Allied countries who dominated negotiations at the conference.
"New-York Tribune", June 22, 1919, Chronicling America
Allied powers and Central Powers, Britannica
They excluded the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Ottoman Empire, Bulgaria) and Russia, a key Ally who withdrew from the war in 1917 under its new government.
The exclusion of these countries drastically weakened negotiations as the entire conference was run by four countries that were all part of the Allied Powers.
Treaty of Versailles
"No conference in history has been faced with problems of such variety, complexity and gravity." ~David Lloyd George, the head of the British delegation for the Paris Peace Conference ("The Maui News", April 18, 1919, Chronicling America)
After six months of negotiations, the treaty was finally signed on June 28, 1919.
The Greatest Moment in History, June 28, 1919, Library of Congress
Treaty of Versailles p.51, June 28, 1919, Library of Congress