| Important Leaders and Rulers |
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| Kaiser Wilhelm II, 1859-1941, thought only of himself and his place in history. Sly and deceitful, he forced Otto von Bismarck to resign and became Germany's new ruler. Wanting the power all to himself, he broke the treaty between Germany and Russia. Envious of Britain's large empire and mighty navy, Kaiser started a shipbuilding program in an effort to make the German navy equal to Britain's. |
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| Otto von Bismarck, a blood-and-iron chancellor freely used war to unify Germany. Afterwards, he saved his energy in maintaing peace in Europe. However, he still saw France as a threat since they might possibly want revenge after losing in the Franco-Prussian war. Therefore, his goal was to isolate France by forming the Dual Alliance between Germany and Austria-Hungary. Italy joins three years later forming the Triple Alliance. And in 1887, Bismarck took away another possible ally from France by creating a treaty with Russia. |
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| Georges Clemenceau of France was a highly intelligent and commited leader. He was a physician, journalist, and playwright before becoming premier of France. His desire was to punish Germany for its wrongdoings. |
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| Woodrow Wilson of the United States was also an intelligent and commited leader. Son of a Presbyterian minister, he had been a history scholar, professor, and president of Princeton University before becoming president. He was a morally upright man and was guided by faith. In January 1918, Wilson had drawn up a series of proposals called the Fourteen Points. At the Paris Peace Conference, a Treaty of Versailles was created between Germany and the Allied Powers adopting Wilson's fourteenth point. |