Georges Clemenceau

Georges Benjamin Clemenceau was a powerful French statesman.

He served as the Prime Minister of France during two different periods. His first term lasted from 1906 to 1909. He served a second, more famous term from 1917 to 1920. He was a central figure in the French Third Republic. This was the government system in France during his career. People gave him several nicknames because of his strong personality. Some called him "Le Tigre," which means "The Tiger." Others called him "Père la Victoire," or "Father Victory."

Clemenceau was born on September 28, 1841, in Mouilleron-en-Pareds. His father, Benjamin Clemenceau, was a political activist. Benjamin was an atheist who did not want his children to have religious education. This influenced Georges to become a lifelong atheist. He became a leader of the Radical forces in France. These Radicals fought for the separation of church and state. They wanted to keep religious institutions away from government business.

Before he was a politician, Clemenceau was a physician. He studied medicine in Paris and graduated in 1865. His medical thesis was titled "De la génération des éléments anatomiques." However, he also spent much of his time as a journalist. He wrote many articles that attacked the imperial regime of Napoleon III. Because of this political activity, he faced trouble with the police. In 1862, he was arrested and spent 77 days in Mazas Prison.

Clemenceau eventually moved to the United States to escape political pressure. He lived in New York City from 1865 to 1869. He maintained a medical practice during these years. He also taught French in Massachusetts and Connecticut. In Connecticut, he taught horseback riding at a private school. It was there that he met Mary Eliza Plummer. They married in New York City on June 23, 1869.

They had three children named Madeleine, Thérèse, and Michel.

After returning to France, Clemenceau entered the Chamber of Deputies. This was the legislative body of the French government. He became a leader of the radical section of the Chamber. He was known as "le Tombeur de ministères," or the "destroyer of ministries." This was because he was very good at criticizing and removing government leaders. He also fought for the amnesty of the Communards. These were people from the 1871 Paris Commune who had been exiled to New Caledonia. He helped ensure they could return to France in 1880.

Clemenceau played his most vital role during the First World War. He became Prime Minister again in 1917. During the war, about 1,400,000 French soldiers were killed. Because of this great loss, Clemenceau demanded a total victory over the German Empire. He wanted strict rules to prevent Germany from building up its military again. He also wanted reparations, which are payments made to cover war damages.

He worked to ensure France regained the territory of Alsace-Lorraine. This land had been taken by Germany in 1871.

His goals were achieved through the Treaty of Versailles. This treaty was signed during the Paris Peace Conference from 1919 to 1920. The treaty returned Alsace-Lorraine to France. It also included the transfer of colonies and strict military rules. However, some leaders thought the treaty was not harsh enough. Ferdinand Foch, a military leader, said the treaty was just an armistice for twenty years. Clemenceau also tried to make defense treaties with the United Kingdom and the United States. These treaties never went into effect because the U.S. Senate did not ratify them.