The Big Four ( World War I ) The Big Four refers to the top Allied leaders who met at the Paris Peace Conference in January 1919 following the end of World War I ( 1914 – 18 ) . The Big Four are also known as the Council of Four . It was composed of Woodrow Wilson of the United States , David Lloyd George of Britain , Vittorio Orlando of Italy , and Georges Clemenceau of France . Woodrow Wilson . Woodrow Wilson ( 1856 – 1924 ) was elected President on the basis of domestic issues in 1912 , and reelected in 1916 . He based his 1916 re - election campaign around the slogan " he kept us out of war " , and had worked hard to broker a compromise peace . In early 1917 Berlin decided to launch all - out submarine warfare designed to sink American ships bringing supplies to Britain ; in the Zimmermann Telegram it proposed a military alliance with Mexico to fight a war against the U . S . The nation was poorly armed when it went to war in April 1917 , but it had millions of potential fresh soldiers , billions of dollars , and huge supplies of sense and raw materials needed by the Allies . Officially Wilson kept the U . S . independent of the Allies . In 1918 Wilson took personal control of negotiations with Germany , including the armistice . He issued his Fourteen Points , his view of a post - war world that could avoid another terrible conflict . It had an enormous impact on both sides in Europe , and made him the man of the hour in Paris . A leader of the Progressive Movement , he assembled a high powered group of academic advisors to help him in Paris but his distrustful personality led him to break with a series of close advisors , most notably Colonel House . He made a major blunder by refusing to bring along any prominent Republicans to Paris , which politicized the American debate and weakened his support . His main goal was a long - term solution to end warfare based on the League of Nations and self - determination of nations . He paid special attention on creating new nations out of defunct empires , and was opposed to harsh terms and reparations imposed on Germany . A Presbyterian of deep religious faith , Wilson appealed to a gospel of service and infused a profound sense of moralism into his idealistic internationalism , now referred to as " Wilsonianism " . Wilsonianism calls for the United States to enter the world arena to fight for democracy , and has been a contentious position in American foreign policy . David Lloyd George . David Lloyd George , ( 1863 – 1945 ) from the British Liberal Party was a highly effective leader of the coalition government that took power in late 1916 and managed the British war effort . However his coalition premiership was supported more by Conservatives than by his own Liberals , and the subsequent split was a key factor in the decline of the Liberal Party as a serious political force . He won a landslide in the election of 1918 , held just after the war ended , where he spoke out for harsh terms against Germany . However he was much more moderate at Paris . Unlike Clemenceau and Orlando , Lloyd George did not want to destroy the German economy and political system — as Clemenceau demanded — with massive reparations . Asked how he had done at the peace conference , he commented , " Not badly , considering I was seated between Jesus Christ and Napoleon [ Wilson and Clemenceau ] " . It has been said that “ Lloyd George was the most affable and the most resilient , and he was probably the best at negotiating ” . In an article from the New York Times it says that " Lloyd George was a pragmatist determined to protect and expand the interests of the British Empire . " Vittorio Emanuele Orlando . Vittorio Emanuele Orlando ( May 19 , 1860 - December 1 , 1952 ) was an Italian diplomat and political figure . He was born in Palermo , Sicily . His father , a landed gentleman , delayed venturing out to register his son ' s birth for fear of Giuseppe Garibaldi ' s 1 , 000 patriots who had just stormed into Sicily on the first leg of their march to build an Italian nation . In 1897 he was elected in the Italian Chamber of Deputies ( Italian : Camera dei Deputati ) for the district of Partinico for which he was constantly reelected until 1925 . He aligned himself with Giovanni Giolitti , who was Prime Minister of Italy five times between 1892 and 1921 . As Prime Minister of Italy , he went to the Paris Peace Conference in 1919 . He demanded the fulfillment of the " secret Treaty of London of 1915 , by which the Allies had promised Italy ample territorial compensation in Dalmatia for its entry into World War I . " However , Woodrow Wilson brought forth a lot of opposition to Orlando ' s demands . Therefore , Orlando failed to secure British or French support . This caused him to leave the Peace Conference . However , he returned a month later . " Even then no solution satisfactory to Italy was found ; Orlando resigned and was succeeded as premier by Francesco Nitti . Opposing Fascism , Orlando gave up ( 1925 ) his seat in parliament and devoted himself to teaching and writing . ” Aside from his prominent political role Orlando is also known for his writings , over a hundred works , on legal and judicial issues ; Orlando was himself a professor of law . Georges Clemenceau . Georges Benjamin Clemenceau ( French pronunciation : [ ʒɔʁʒ klemɑ̃so ] ; 28 September 1841 – 24 November 1929 ) was a French statesman , physician , and journalist . He served as the Prime Minister of France from 1906 to 1909 , and again from 1917 to 1920 . He is commonly nicknamed " Le Tigre " ( The Tiger ) and " Père - la - Victoire " ( Father Victory ) for his determination as a wartime leader . " Succeeding Paul Painlevé as premier in Nov . , 1917 , Clemenceau formed a coalition cabinet in which he was also minister of war . He renewed the dispirited morale of France , persuaded the allies to agree to a unified command , and pushed the war vigorously until the final victory . Leading the French delegation at the Paris Peace Conference , Clemenceau insisted on Germany ' s disarmament and was never satisfied with the Versailles Treaty . He was the main antagonist of Woodrow Wilson , whose ideas he viewed as too idealistic . " For nearly the final year of World War I he led France , and was one of the major voices behind the Treaty of Versailles at the Paris Peace Conference in the aftermath of the war . Clemenceau was hoping that there would be more punishment put on Germany . Purpose . While the Allies at the Paris Peace Conference made up more than twenty nations , the Big Four entered Versailles and were the decision makers . However , Orlando pulled out of the conference after his demands weren ' t met , leaving the Big Three ( Woodrow Wilson , David Lloyd George and Georges Clemenceau ) as the only remaining decision makers at the conference . These heads of government were the leading architects of the Treaty of Versailles which was signed by Germany ; the Treaty of St . Germain , with Austria ; the Treaty of Neuilly , with Bulgaria ; the Treaty of Trianon , with Hungary ; and the Treaty of Sèvres , with the Ottoman Empire .