What History Has to Say
WOODROW WILSON
Few American presidents have pushed so hard for utopian goals as Woodrow Wilson. This was his downfall.
When conflict erupted in Europe in August 1914, Wilson saw a role for the United States as the leader of a new order. On April 2, 1917, he asked Congress to declare war on Germany and its allies, announcing, "We shall fight for the things we have always carried nearest our hearts. ... The world must be made safe for democracy."
On Jan. 8, 1918, Wilson announced the 14 Points, his definition of America's war aims. These included national self-determination and the establishment of a League of Nations to mediate international disputes. But the flaw in Wilson's system was that it provided for no enforcement power. Wilson idealistically believed that the nations of the world would simply unite against aggression, according to political scientist James Chace. And from an American perspective, Wilson seemed to plunge the United States too deeply into European entanglements.
League failure. When Wilson returned to America from negotiations in France in July 1919, he immediately embarked on a crusade to sell the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations to a skeptical public and a resistant Senate. Some legislators wanted to make sure that America would not be required under the treaty to preserve the territory or independence of any country unless Congress specifically approved. Wilson refused to compromise on this and other provisions, and the treaty stalled. At that point, Wilson tried to rally public opinion for his plan. He traveled 10,000 miles to make his case but ruined his health and suffered a stroke that paralyzed his left side in September 1919. For weeks, he was bedridden in Washington and saw almost no one except his second wife, Edith. As the months dragged on, inflation increased markedly, strikes became prevalent, unrest led to bloody bombings, big business attempted to destroy labor unions, and many politicians began a hunt for "subversives" around the country.
Wilson refused to resign despite his weakened condition, and his wife assumed a big role in running the government. The Republican-controlled Senate twice rejected the Versailles agreement, in defiance of the Democratic president, and the United States never joined the League of Nations. The defeated Germany felt persecuted by the treaty, fueling resentments that led to World War II.
Robert Dallek and many other historians today say George W. Bush reminds them of Wilson because of his similar commitment to spreading democracy, his frequent unwillingness to compromise, and his evangelical fervor in defining America's mission in the world. French President Georges Clemenceau once said of Wilson, "He thinks he is another Jesus Christ come upon the Earth to reform men." Some critics feel the same about Bush. But White House advisers think he will prove to be much more of a realist than Wilson.
HARRY TRUMAN
In July 1944, Democrat Franklin Roosevelt selected a relatively obscure Missouri senator named Harry Truman as his running mate, to replace the divisive Henry Wallace. When FDR died April 12, 1945, only three months after his fourth inauguration, Truman became president with some serious handicaps. As vice president, he had been mostly left out of the decision making. Not until he was sworn in as president, for example, was Truman told about the atomic bomb, which was already nearing completion.
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