‘Generalissimo’ or ‘Skunk’? The Impact of Georges Clemenceau’s Leadership on the Western Alliance in 1918
The winter of 1917–18 marked a nadir in Allied morale during the First World War. To address this problem, British prime minister David Lloyd George issued a liberal war aims speech on 5 January 1918. Three days later American president Woodrow Wilson set forth his famous Fourteen Points. Historians, however, have not paid sufficient attention to the impact of French Président du Conseil Georges Clemenceau on Allied morale. Despite his historical image as a French nationalist, his personal knowledge of the Anglo-American world and strong leadership played a key role in bolstering the alliance during the darkest days of the German spring offensives. Yet his methods also exacerbated inter-Allied controversies over strategy and war aims. By integrating new material from French, British and American sources, this article assesses the paradoxical nature of Clemenceau’s leadership during the last twelve tumultuous months of the First World War.
