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Woodrow Wilson

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"Wilsonianism" has defined, and in many ways imprisoned, American foreign policy since the end of World War I. But what if Wilsonianism was the product of pragmatic, ad hoc, political considerations rather than an idealistic grand strategy?

In his marvelous and very readable study of the statecraft of President Woodrow Wilson, John A Thompson argues that Wilson blended certain idealistic values with hard political realities in his response to World War I. Thompson's book, while brief, is comprehensive: it begins with Wilson's childhood, takes the reader through his career as an academic and later President of Princeton University, discusses his term as Governor of New Jersey, and finally delves into the domestic and international aspects of the Wilson presidency.

This book will appeal to general readers, particularly those who wish to be better informed about the Wilson presidency, as well as academic specialists.

It may come as a surprise to many American readers that it has fallen to a British scholar (from the prestigious University of Cambridge) to write such a lively, elegant and thoughtful study of one of America's greatest Presidents. But those who have followed Thompson's earlier work on Progressivism will know what a fine writer he is.

Here he follows Wilson's career through all the highs and lows of political life, deftly sketching a powerful pen-portrait of Woodrow Wilson the tortured man even as he skilfully demonstrates just why Wilson was such a pivotal figure in American political history. The writing is crisp, the pacing never flags, and Thompson's conclusions are both striking and convincing. A powerful read, and in the current climate, perhaps an instructive one. Buy it, read it, and send a copy to the White House.

John A. Thompson, author of the Reformers and War: American Progressives Publicists and the First World War (1987)and a leading authority on the Progessive Era and First World War, has written a superb and compact biography of Woodrow Wilson, the best one-volume biography of Wilson that we have. Thompson's insightful account focuses on Wilson's leadership style and assesses both its strengths and weaknesses. As president of Princeton, governor of New Jersey, and president of the United States, Wilson exhibited both firmness and flexibility, and idealism and a practicality. Examining the abilities and the limits of political leadership in American democracy, Thompson carefully weighs the degree to which Wilson's successes and failures were a result of his own actions and a consequence of other factors beyond his control. This is a masterful achievement.

In Woodrow Wilson: Profiles in Power, John Thompson presents an objective view of President Wilson's conduct as president of Princeton, governor of New Jersey, and then as President of the United States. But Thompson's primary historical questions are why President Wilson acted as he did in response to the horrors of World War I and to German submarine warfare, and then in response to the conflict with the United States Senate over the League of Nations. He dedicates much of his first chapter, "Images of Wilson," to a historiography of these queries that is organized around the disposition of the various authors. For instance, previous analyses have approached the study of President Wilson's actions from a Christian view while others from the background of European genteelism. In any case, Thompson successfully answers his historical questions by thoroughly examining the direct words and actions of President Wilson, and by convincingly discounting alternate solutions.

Thompson discusses President Wilson's early years in office as the country's president that showcases the President's support of progressivism. However, the main focus of the book seems to be around President Wilson's desire to use his position to resolve the conflict in Europe and to spread what he felt was the superior humanity of the United States. President Wilson's confidence in American morality is exhibited in many quotes cited by Thompson including the following: "the peace of the world must henceforth depend upon a new and more wholesome diplomacy (p 125)."

A predominant predicament faced by President Wilson in the early years of World War was between his adherence to the wishes of American who favored non-involvement and his obligation to protect the honor of his country. At the same time, Thompson suggests that President Wilson had a strong desire to help create a better and safer world. This desire seemed to come from his obligation as President of the United States and from his own convictions. This ties into the President's ultimate response to the continuous harassment caused by the German U-boats in the shipping lanes around Great Britain. Thompson often shows how President Wilson had wanted to be part of the peace process in Europe. The President finally realized that the United States could not have legitimacy in the negotiations of a peace agreement without backing his stern words to Germany about continued U-boat attacks, especially on American vessels. As Thompson also shows, the President had already realized that the United States could only meet its moral obligation "through an active foreign policy (p 250)."

Regarding President Wilson's postwar fight with the United States Senate over the League of Nations, Thompson shows a President that acted less rational and with less pragmatism. First, the President neglected Republican participation in the peace process in Paris. Secondly, he became very self-righteous over his preferred terms of the peace treaty and this caused him to be very inflexible and probably unreasonable.

A final highlight of Thompson's book is the well-detailed description of the U-boat attacks and a chronology of these attacks and President Wilson's subsequent responses. Thompson makes it very easy to make a comprehensive time line of these attacks and how they help to evolve the President's and America's attitude towards Germany.

This biography is focused exclusively on Wilson's political life. Within those constraints, while being short and concise, it is very analytical and insightful. The author analyses why Wilson did what he did. While sharing with us some notable opinions on these subjects, he always offers his own objective and analytical views as well. Excellent book - I learned something from almost every page.

An excellent short but complete biography of Woodrow Wilson, a thoughtful peace loving man born into a pious and academic household. He was born in 1856 and lived in Staunton, Virginia, a Southern Border state. He grew up in a time that he saw the ravages caused by the Civil War. His quest for peace and reform was always intense - no more wars. He tried studying law, but did not like the and quiet thoughtful man made him a natural for Princeton although he brought many interesting new ideas for educational reform. He became President of Princeton University from 1902 -1910. Leaving Princeton, he was also thought of as a reformer when he became governor of the state of New Jersey from 1911-1913, His race for President was both smart and surprising (Taft and Roosevelt split the ticket). Wilson ran a good race, but was behind - he had a lots of luck and political maneuvering to get the nomination. That was interesting, as well as when he became president - how the federal reserve system was developed - his greatest achievement. The book's description of his presidency (1913-1921) and his poor cardiovascular health gives a clear picture of how he presided over the country - by sheer will. He knew he was very ill, but "paced" his meetings, avoided many by prioritizing, and would not talk business at home. World War 1 was beyond his control and his wish for isolationist policy failed because of the global political winds. The League of Nations and 14 Points take on an interesting angle when compared with the United Nations today.

Another interesting part of his life is when his first wife dies while he is in office - he goes on through his deep depression. He courts and marries his second wife while still in office. She and his doctor cover up how ill he is. When he has his most debilitating stroke, his second wife actually becomes the "first woman president" - although the country did not know she was running the country. Can one imagine a President getting away with that in today's media and talk show programs? He was not functioning as President - she took over, making the decision to do so as well as decisions written on papers passed through his office. Basically she was President of the U.S. for the last 17 months he was in office.

This is not a full biog of WW. Its a look at his way of using power, mainly at Princeton and as Pres of the US. That leaves out quite a bit! There is very little in the book on how WW dealt with Congress, even during WWI (though more on this subject is here regarding the League of Nations.) There is VERY little about domestic concerns during WW's presidency, esp. with regard to race. Thompson is not only a bit too sympathetic toward his subject, but far too deferential to William Link's previous assessments of WW as well.

I'm not an academic but an avid reader who wanted an interesting, informative biography on Woodrow Wilson. This is really a text-book pretending to be a biogrpaphy and it took much patience and persistence to finish the book because it didn't really hold my attention. I love non fiction but not really esoteric or abstruse works, and I found this book overly academic and a bit boring.

Few figures in American history have as polarizing effect on people as Thomas Woodrow Wilson. While he accomplished a great deal during his term, his legacy is haunted by a glaring failure. John A. Thompson takes a concise, yet surprisingly thorough look at the political career of the 28th President of the United States in the Profiles in Power Series.

Woodrow Wilson seemed to be an unlikely candidate to one day become president. As the son of a presbyterian minister, he often placed his faith ahead to political feasibility. After serving as the president of Princeton, his progressive ideals led to his election as governor of New Jersey. His popularity led to his nomination as the democratic candidate for president in a year when the republican electorate was split between Theodore Roosevelt and William H. Taft.

Among his accomplishments as president were the Child Labor Act, the Federal Reserve Act, and the Federal Trade Commission Act. Wilson is also commended for his role as a leader during World War I. While various factions including former President Teddy Roosevelt called for American involvement in the war, Wilson exhausted every possible means for peaceful resolution. Supporting by George Washington's farewell address statement to avoid European entanglements, Wilson pressed forward in negotiations. Only when Germany refused to discontinue attacks on merchant ships was Wilson's hand forced into war.

After the allied victory, Wilson became a key figure in establishing the peace in Europe. Wilson was the first president to travel to Europe during his term in office. It was during his work in Europe that he attempted to implement the League of Nations. Wilson was humbled in the eyes of the Europeans that exhaulted him when the U.S. senate refused to ratify American membership. In a show of partisanism that was uncharacteristic in its time, republican senators refused to accept the League of Nations as it was.

Wilson is one of the key figures in American history, whose only major failure was a project so ambitious that many considered it utopian. His interests were not political but universal and international ideals. World War II was among the problems foresaw and could have prevented. I was certainly enlighted as to the facts of the Wilson administration through this book. While there are certain omission such as much of Wilson's youth, the book is recommended to those seeking to expand their knowledge of Woodrow Wilson.