Diplomatic Transformation

The war transformed France into allied diplomacy's center. Paris hosted inter-allied conferences determining strategy, allocating resources, and planning postwar settlements. The Supreme War Council, established in 1917, coordinated military efforts. Economic conferences allocated shipping, distributed American aid, and managed financial relationships.

This diplomatic concentration had profound effects. Paris hotels became unofficial embassies. Restaurants witnessed negotiations affecting millions. The city's traditional diplomatic culture—formal receptions, careful protocol—gave way to urgent pragmatism. Georges Clemenceau's informal style, meeting allies in his study rather than gilded salons, symbolized diplomacy's democratization.

International organizations proliferated. The Inter-Allied Maritime Transport Council coordinated shipping. The Allied Maritime Transport Council managed submarine threats. The Commission for Relief in Belgium operated from Paris. These organizations, improvised during crisis, established precedents for postwar international cooperation.