DAVID LLOYD GEORGE (U.K.)
When Lloyd George began his political career, he could scarcely have imagined he’d end up leading his country in the bloodiest war in history to date.
The noted orator and statesman started his parliamentary life as an opponent of war and British imperialism. But once he entered the inner circles of politics, it seems his nationalistic spirit superseded his pacifist ways.
Lloyd George started his cabinet career as president of the board of trade in Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman’s government in 1905, and focused on reforming Britain’s welfare system. He served as chancellor of the exchequer under Herbert Asquith, and in that role made his famous Mansion House speech warning Germany about stepping on British toes overseas.
A year after the Great War broke out, Lloyd George became minister of munitions, and a year after that he formed a coalition government of his own and ousted Asquith. The change of power saw significant changes to the British government, including the creation of a war cabinet and a push to unify the military command under – some would say surprisingly – France’s Ferdinand Foch.
WOODROW WILSON (U.S.A.)
The Virginia-born Wilson was one of the few statesmen to have led his country through the entire Great War.
Wilson was a life-long academic until he entered politics late in his career. He taught politics at some of America’s leading universities, and became president of Princeton University in 1902.
In 1910 he was persuaded to enter political life, and handily won the New Jersey gubernatorial race. His popularity as governor was a springboard to his 1912 candidacy for president, which he won in a landslide over rivals Teddy Roosevelt and William H. Taft.
Wilson was a reluctant warrior, however, and fought hard to preserve the concept of American neutrality after the Great War erupted.
Unrestricted submarine warfare sorely tested his patience, however, and the 1915 sinking of the liner Lusitania – which claimed the lives of more than 100 Americans – hurt German-American relations.
Still, his 1916 presidential campaign was based largely on his Democratic Party platform of neutrality (the party slogan was “He kept us out of the war”), and it narrowly won him re-election over Charles Evans Hughes.
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Germany’s resumption of unrestricted warfare on the seas, coupled with the now-infamous Zimmerman Telegram scandal, pushed America over the edge and Wilson asked Congress to declare war in April 1917.
America’s entry into the war, though late, helped turn the tide in Europe, and Wilson began working feverishly on plans for a post-war settlement based on the concept of an association of states that would act in concert if any other nation sought war – which eventually became the League of Nations.
ROBERT BORDEN (CANADA)
By the time Robert Borden took the reins as Canada’s Prime Minister, he was already a known quantity in the worlds of politics and law.
From relatively humble beginnings in Grand Pre, Nova Scotia, Borden spent his early professional life teaching before moving into the more lucrative and power-heavy world of politics. Known for his keen mind concerning constitutional law, Borden entered politics in 1896 and just five years later assumed leadership of the Conservatives. For most of the first decade of the 20th century, he was parliamentary foil to Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his Liberal Party.
In 1911, Borden’s Tories defeated the Liberals, running largely on a platform opposed to reciprocity with the United States – a position he held even before entering political life — as well as a policy to keep Canada’s naval forces within the British fold.
As wartime PM, he initiated the War Measures Act at the beginning of hostilities and pledged staunch Canadian support to the Empire. That promise, however, proved to be problematic as the war dragged on.
Canada was to provide upwards of 500,000 soldiers to the cause, but lines of volunteers got shorter and shorter after 1915. Conscription was the solution Borden’s government offered, and it plunged Canada into the Conscription Crisis, dividing Canadians’ loyalties between French and English.
The crisis forced Borden and his Conservatives to recruit members of the opposition Liberals in the next election; without their support (which led to a Unionist ticket) Borden likely would have been defeated.
KAISER WILHELM II (GERMANY)
A product of Victorian and Prussian culture, Wilhelm II was both a figurehead and driving force behind Germany’s participation in the Great War.
The Kaiser’s childhood was steeped in the military traditions of Prussia, and in later life he was seldom seen out of uniform. As he matured and grew into his royal position, he broke ranks with the legendary German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck and in 1890 forced the Iron Chancellor to resign.
Wilhelm’s primary interest was foreign affairs and his desire to see Germany ranked among the world’s foremost powers contributed to the path to war. He expanded Germany’s overseas empire and grew its navy substantially, setting the country up as a counter-balance to France and Great Britain. His alliance with Austria-Hungary set in motion a series of mobilizations following the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914, which sparked the Great War.
The Kaiser’s influence during the war years waned, however, giving way to more militarily influential figures like Paul von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Uprisings – some of them spurred by Bolsheviks – eventually forced Wilhelm from power. He abdicated on Nov. 9, 1918, handing over his remaining powers to Prince Max of Baden. He then fled Germany altogether.
He escaped to Holland, where he lived in exile until his death in 1941.
GEORGES CLEMENCEAU (FRANCE)
Clemenceau was appointed prime minister in 1917, well after the great war began. He quickly made clear how he earned his moniker “The Tiger.” After fighting the concept of defeatism – which permeated French political and military ranks for many months – he revived French morale and backed the concept of a unified command.
The result? Major successes that pushed Germany and her allies to the brink.
Those who knew Clemenceau were not surprised at his sheer will to effect change. The 77-year-old wore many hats in his life, including physician, teacher and journalist. He had been a socialist, a staunch Republican, embroiled in many political scandals, such as the Panama Canal scandal of the late 19th century, and strongly defended Alfred Dreyfus during L’Affaire Dreyfus.
His first stint as premier lasted three years, and was marked by both a crisis in Morocco and a strengthening of ties to Great Britain. Even when out of power, he used his newspaper to fight for French pride, and later in his second premiership, pushed for a hard line against Germany in the post-war peace talks.
VITTORIO EMANUELE ORLANDO (ITALY)
Italy’s Prime Minister for the last year of the Great War, Orlando had been a fixture in Italy’s government for almost two decades. His tenure within the Italian cabinet started in 1903, as minister of education, and he held posts as both minister of justice and minister of the interior. But the disaster at Caporetto vaulted Orlando into the Prime Minister’s office after the military debacle forced the end of Paolo Boselli’s government.
Pundits at the time pointed to Orlando’s steady hand as a major reason the country reversed its military fortune, culminating with the triumph of the Battle of Vittorio Veneto and the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian empire.
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