The Big Four (World War I)

The Council of Four, also called the Big Four, in the initial phase of the Council of Ten, made ​​the most important decisions after the First World War as part of the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. It consisted of the four leaders of the most powerful victorious nations, Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George ( Great Britain), Vittorio Emanuele Orlando ( Italy) and Woodrow Wilson (USA ), which were decisive among the 32 nations in total attendance.

Woodrow Wilson presented at the conference in front of his 14 -point program, in which he called for a self-determination of peoples, but was not adopted in important respects, which is why the U.S. did not ratify the results of the Congress. He also wanted the creation of a League of Nations. Britain had the contract especially financial interests, while Italy and France wanted to enlarge his territory security against the German Reich and revenge for the Franco-German War.

At the conference, which began on January 18, 1919, Clemenceau was first appointed on the proposal of Wilson as President of the Conference. Since the General Assembly consisted of over 1000 delegates, first was a Council of Ten, consisting of the heads of government and foreign ministers of the nations in the Council of Four were later, and two Japanese representatives. As Japan to European problems had little interest in the decision-making body on 24 March 1919 Council of Four, the total of 148 times, almost every day, was met.