Brief Summary Of Ponicaré's Speech To The French

When President Woodrow Wilson arrived in Paris for the Versailles Conference, he carried, with confidence, his fourteen points that will bring a resounding peace and a new world order. Despite having the French public support and supposedly the support of Americans, Wilson quickly discovered that the rest of the leaders of the Allies, especially France and Britain, were in no mood to follow the idealism of the American president. Wilson’s counterpart in France, President Raymond Ponicaré also called for peace and justice but differs in his idea of justice. Ponicaré’s version of justice means a turning back to the old world order, even when he claims its nobleness.
In Ponicaré’s speech welcoming delegates to the conerence, the French president claims that the Versailles Conference does not just represent governments, but also free people. The French people are a “homogenous block” that cannot be divided. By presenting this idea of unanimity, Ponicaré illustrates that the French are already following the “necessary unity under the standard of the lofty moral and political truths” that Wilson is proclaiming. This allows him to state his next case of justice while
This punishment should be so strong that the perpetuator should never even have the temptation to be aggressive or hurtful again. France had demanded that Germany pay upwards of 33 billion dollars in reparations. The main issue it appears between the Allied powers is that they differ in the quantitative and severity aspect of justice. Wilson clearly wants “justice”, meaning everyone involved in the war will get what they justly deserve; it is the “justly deserve” aspect that Ponicaré is undoubtedly arguing against, for what constitutes a just reparation varies per