Explain why Clemenceau wanted to treat Germany harshly.

The Treaty of Versailles was an agreement of huge historic importance which, at the time, represented not only an end to the bloodiest conflict in human history, but also arguably set the stage for World War Two, a conflict that would go on to claim many more lives that World War One and also set the stage for decades of tension between the superpowers in the East and West. Many blame the Treaty of Versailles for sowing the seeds of World War Two by punishing Germany and excluding them from the European community, rather than looking to foster harmony and peace in Europe, thus setting the stage for Hitler's rise to power. The main force behind the overt "harshness" of the treaty was Georges Clemenceau, the French Prime Minister, however, though with hindsight we may view the treaty as harsh, it is important to consider why he sought such a punitive treaty. Firstly, Clemenceau was cogniscent of the ever growing pattern of German aggression towards their French neighbours. World War Two represented the second invasion of France by German troops in 50 years, with German soldiers having invaded France in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War, taking the province of Alsace-Lorraine with them. As such, Clemenceau sort to completely strip back the German military as a means of minimising the German threat. This can be seen in the treaties harsh restrictions placed on the German military, which saw the military limited to 100,000 men and 6 battleships, whilst armoured vehicles, aircraft and submarines, as well as conscription were all banned. Furthermore, the Rhineland, which represents the Franco-German border, was completely demilitarised, removing any immediate military threat to France The second reason behind Clemenceau's desire to see Germany suffer harsh punishment was perhaps more practical. The vast majority of the conflict in World War Two took place on French soil, and as such the damage to French agriculture and industry represented a huge challenge to the overall French economy. Unlike Britain and the USA which had seen no fighting, and therefore no incurred no losses beyond the actual number of men lost, France not only lost millions of men, but also factories and farms. In order to remedy this Clemenceau demanded £6.6 billion in reparations to be paid by Germany in annual installments as a means of funding the considerable costs of rebuilding the French nation. Furthermore, Clemenceau also demanded that the Saar coalfields, a resource rich industrial hub in the West of Germany, become a League of Nations mandate run by the French. The Saarland provided France with the natural resources and factories it needed to rebuild itself following the vast destruction of World War One. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, Clemenceau wanted revenge. France suffered by far the most casualties of any of the Big Three nations, with over 6 million men wounded or dead as a result of the conflict. Not only did this present a huge practical issue in the rebuilding of France, but it also scarred a generation who would grow up without fathers. Clemenceau, fuelled by the fury of a nation, sought to exact revenge on those he blamed for his nation's suffering, perhaps best exemplified by Clause 231 of the treaty, otherwise known as the "War Guilt Clause", which stipulated that Germany take complete responsibility for World War One, and withit the blame for over 6 million French casualties.