Woodrow Wilson

Profiles in Power

by John A. Thompson

Most famous in Europe for his efforts to establish the League of Nations under US leadership at the end of the First World War, Woodrow Wilson stands as one of America’s most influential and visionary presidents. A Democrat who pursued progressive domestic policies during his first term in office, he despised European colonialism and believed that the recipe for world peace was the self-determination of all peoples, particularly those under the yoke of the vast Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires. His efforts to resist heavy reparations on Germany fell on deaf ears, while the refusal of France, Russia and Britain to accept a League of Nations led by America, together with the US Senate’s refusal to ratify the League, led to its ultimate failure. Woodrow Wilson has traditionally been seen by both admirers and critics as an idealist and a heroic martyr to the cause of internationalism. But John Thompson takes a different view, arguing that Wilson was a pragmatist, whose foreign policy was flexible and responsive to pressures and events. His conclusion, that Wilson was in fact an exceptionally skilful politician, who succeeded in maintaining national unity whilst leading America onto the world stage for the first time in its history, offers a challenging interpretation for anyone interested in the man and his era.

Genres: Biography, Presidents

284 pages, Hardcover

First published June 13, 2002

About the author

There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads' database

John A. Thompson is Emeritus Reader in American History at the University of Cambridge. He is the author of Reformers and War: American Progressive Publicists and the First World War and Woodrow Wilson: A Profile in Power.

Reviews

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really just had a tough time getting through this book. It was assigned for a history class of mine and I was looking forward to it but the writing is way too dense for me to enjoy. If you're looking for a technical and theoretical work on Woodrow Wilson and his leadership style then maybe check this out. If you're wanting an overview of Wilson/WWI that is at all *readable* then I'm sure there are much better options out there.