Georges Clemenceau

Georges Benjamin Clemenceau ˈklɛmənsoʊ1 also US ˌklɛmənˈsoʊ ˌkleɪmɒˈsoʊ23 French ʒɔʁʒ bɛʒamɛ klemɑsoa 28 September 1841 24 November 1929 was a French statesman who served as Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 and again from 1917 until 1920 A key figure of the Independent Radicals he was a strong advocate of separation of church and state amnesty of the Communards exiled to New Caledonia as well as opposition to colonisation Clemenceau a physician turned journalist played a central role in the politics of the Third Republic most notably successfully leading France through the end of the First World War After about 1400000 French soldiers were killed between the German invasion and Armistice he demanded a total victory over the German Empire Clemenceau stood for reparations a transfer of colonies strict rules to prevent a rearming process as well as the restitution of AlsaceLorraine which had been annexed to Germany in 1871 He achieved these goals through the Treaty of Versailles signed at the Paris Peace Conference 19191920 Nicknamed Père la Victoire Father of Victory or Le Tigre The Tiger he continued his harsh position against Germany in the 1920s although not quite so much as President Raymond Poincaré or former Supreme Allied Commander Ferdinand Foch who thought the treaty was too lenient on Germany famously stating This is not peace It is an armistice for twenty years Clemenceau obtained mutual defence treaties with the United Kingdom and the United States to unite against a possible future German aggression but these never took effect