The Treaty of Versailles played an important role in the creation
of the modern Western world, and in the creation of many political
careers.. And so when the leading figures in the negotiations
leading to the treaty (Woodrow Wilson for the United States, Georges
Clemenceau for France, David Lloyd George for England, and Vittorio
Emanuele Orlando for Italy) signed the Treaty in the "Hall
of Mirrors," in Versailles, France, in 1919, they not only
ended World War I -- placing the responsibility for that war on
Germany's broad shoulders -- but also ushered in a brand new era
of peace and prosperity, a firmly reestablished world economy,
and a heightened sense of freedom and strength within the ranks
of the Allied forces.
One of Wilson's right-hand men, Vance McCormick, was on the front
lines of the peace agreement. McCormick was appointed chair of
the War Trade Board (1916-19) and served on the Commission to
Negotiate Peace (1919) at Versailles.
See images representing Versailles-related
memorabilia from the Vance McCormick collection.
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