Essay about Woodrow Wilson's Eight-Year Presidency

During President Wilson's eight-year tenure, the United States saw unprecedented domestic development, thanks mostly to technological and infrastructure advancements. The 28th president amended his views on isolationism and the role of the United States in the conflict. The Fourteen Points of President Woodrow Wilson were a model of American ideology and a blueprint for the rest of the world to follow. They argued for national equality and pushed Germany to join the postwar world order in exchange for liberalizing its leadership. Wilson's statements heralded the start of a new age of diplomacy characterized by open borders and involvement from global organizations.

Not many presidents have had to deal with such a major and profound catastrophe during their administration as Woodrow Wilson did with World War I. In the period surrounding Wilson's victory, the United States saw unparalleled internal growth, owing primarily to advances in technology and infrastructure: the US population quadrupled. Manufacturing's worth increased exponentially. Cities developed in and out of existence. While the 1912 election was generally associated with how the government would tackle the nation's development, Wilson's two elections would predict a unique kind of development, one of a worldwide and humanitarian sort. With World War I, the United States migrated away from the protectionist philosophies espoused in George Washington's farewell speech and established itself as a world leader. The 28th president, like the republic, revised his views on isolationism as well as the United States' role in the struggle and encountered the mammoth responsibility of establishing how the world will function in peace after such a struggle. Wilson's internationalism and the notion of world order were utopian and clashed with reality.

Wilson wouldn't be seen as a politician who would be distracted with foreign matters prior to his election. His significant area of interest and skill as an intellectual was not diplomacy and foreign relations. During his campaign, Wilson mostly relied on economics, since it was the most urgent problem at the time, promoting liberal views that preserved individual rights through some kind of smaller centralized administration and the control of massive companies. When diplomacy was discussed in the campaign, it consisted of Wilson’s pushing for a foreign policy that prioritized human rights above property rights, which serves as an illuminating ideological precursor for greater things to come. Whilst the overarching goal was to remain objective and continue the United States' tradition of being comparatively isolationist in European matters, the magnitude of the struggle rendered this strategy increasingly difficult. Woodrow adopted the phrase 'He kept us out of war' in his reelection campaign in 1916. When the floodgates of the fight began in 1914, Wilson was overwhelmed about how to terminate the war without involving a militarized United States.

Excessive intensification, according to Wilson, was, in any case, negative since it reinforced the notion that peace could only be reached by conflict. While World War I developed and adversely impacted the US economy, Wilson conceded that genuine isolationism could not be perpetuated, and also declared an aspiration to govern as a truce broker. Wilson yearned for tranquility, but as Germany constituted a bigger and growing threat to American democracy, additional steps were required. Germany's hostility grew when its submarines murdered numerous Americans in the Atlantic. Wilson was a guy who worked for international friendship and respect, but the growing dread of Germany jeopardizing the world order and the independence of the United States led to a declaration of war by Congress in 1917.

President Wilson was a strong proponent of democratization and the right of citizens to choose their own leadership, as seen by his mediation in the Mexican Revolution, and he saw Germany as a challenge to these concepts. Wilson was apprehensive about strengthening the military, but it was warranted because this was a war of preservation, primarily protection against totalitarianism. Wilson carefully analyzed the various implications of the war and acknowledged that a tactical success alone would not be sufficient to create peace, as a war-torn Germany might readily rebuild itself over time. With the fight against Germany as the focal point, Wilson gave his Fourteen Points speech. These terms advocated national equality and even urged Germany to join the postwar international order as long as they liberalized their leadership.

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The Fourteen Points were an exemplar of American philosophy and using the nation's fundamentals as a template for the rest of the world to follow: “It is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and especially that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like ours, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, and be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression”. With these words, Wilson began a new era of diplomacy, one marked by liberalized borders, broader participation from global organizations, and a mission of dismantling totalitarianism without exclusively relying on military power. Wilson’s quest for internationalism led to the proposal of the League of Nations, the precursor to the modern United Nations.

At the Paris Peace Conference in 1919, he proposed the League of Nations, which was ultimately a failed endeavor by the United States Congress. Although Wilson's post-war vision was one that encouraged peace, it also was a shining example of American exceptionalism. Germany was supposed to accept the American way of running a nation, which was alien to the totalitarian way of doing things. America was and is a constitutional republic, meaning that the government has strict regulations placed upon it. Germany and other nations during World War I were monarchies, which gave the monarch almost exclusive power that was left unchecked. Due to these issues, Germany and the US did not join the organization. Wilson’s idealism was unfulfilled during his lifetime, leading to more unsettled political landscapes. On the whole, the idealism Wilson had and the objective reality of war rendered his dreams meaningless.

Throughout World War I, President Woodrow Wilson's notion of a free and stable world was confronted by Germany's threat to American authority. His dreams of avoiding the militarization of the United States were thwarted, as World War, I established the requirement of a formidable military. Wilson experienced a catastrophic loss in his goal to establish worldwide comity in order to avert future international wars. This time saw a significant shift in how the United States interacted with the rest of the globe, as the country continued to operate as an international powerhouse.

While World War I was raging and wreaking havoc on the US economy, Wilson admitted that real isolationism could not be sustained, and he also stated his desire to rule as a peace broker. Wilson was a man who strove for international friendliness and respect, but the mounting fear that Germany might jeopardize the world order and the United States' independence led to Congress declaring war in 1917. He delivered his Fourteen Points speech with the war against Germany as the major focus. Wilson's desire for internationalism resulted in the League of Nations, the forerunner of the contemporary United Nations. He advocated the League of Nations during the 1919 Paris Peace Conference. Eventually, however, the United Nations would be created, giving substance to Wilson's concerns and ideas.

During President Wilson's eight-year presidency, the United States saw extraordinary domestic development, owing mostly to technical and infrastructure developments. While World War I was raging and inflicting havoc on the US economy, Wilson conceded that true isolationism could not be maintained, and he also expressed his ambition to preside as a peace broker. Wilson was a guy who sought worldwide friendship and respect, but the growing worry that Germany might threaten the world order and the United States' independence prompted Congress to declare war in 1917. Throughout World War I, Germany posed a threat to President Woodrow Wilson's ideal of a free and peaceful world.