The World Comes to Paris

Available for over a year

In 1919, delegations from across the world gathered in Paris to negotiate an end to the First World War. Only an hour or two's drive away lay the shattered villages, devastated landscapes and multiple cemeteries of northern France. Many of those attending the Paris Peace Conference drove out to witness the destruction for themselves, as eventually did the American President Woodrow Wilson. For President Wilson, bringing the War to an end with the right kind of peace had become a personal crusade. It was Wilson's principles for peace - many of which had, in fact, originated in Britain - that were to be influential in shaping the terms of the Treaty of Versailles with Germany. Military historian Hew Strachan considers how Wilson's thinking shaped the terms of the Treaty of Versailles and disputes the notion that its treatment of Germany led directly to the Second World War. Sir Hew Strachan is Professor of International Relations at the University of St Andrews and an Emeritus Fellow of All Souls College, University of Oxford. Producer: Catriona Oliphant Executive Producer: Alan Hall A ChromeRadio production for BBC Radio 3.