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The Warrior and the Priest: Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt Paperback – October 15, 1985
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The colossal figures who shaped the politics of industrial America emerge in full scale in this engrossing comparative biography. In both the depth and sophistication of intellect that they brought to politics and in the titanic conflict they waged with each other, Roosevelt and Wilson were, like Hamilton and Jefferson before them, the political architects for an entire century.
All previous efforts to treat the philosophies and programs of Roosevelt’s New Nationalism and Wilson’s New Freedom have been partial and episodic. Now John Milton Cooper reconstructs in parallel lines the entire range of their ideologies and their struggles―their social identification in terms of class, education, and regional roots; the origins and evolution of their political thought; their party leadership roles; and their psychological characters.
After tracking the shared identities of young manhood, Cooper explains the conflict of their mature years that developed from opposing philosophies of government. Not until 1912, when Wilson ran for president, did they come together partially and briefly on common practical grounds of reform of the political process and efforts to curb big business in the public interest. Later, foreign policy in particular pitted them in a deeper conflict that consumed the rest of their lives.
- Print length480 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherBelknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press
- Publication dateOctober 15, 1985
- Dimensions6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
- ISBN-100674947517
- ISBN-13978-0674947511
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Editorial Reviews
Review
“[Cooper’s] book displays the trained historical mind at close to its professional best. His distinctions are sharp, his insights original, his judgments balanced and his narrative unfailingly graceful.”―New York Times Book Review
“[An] intellectually rich and provocative study.”―New York Review of Books
“[A] superb comparative biography, [and] an important work of historical scholarship.”―Publishers Weekly
“A truly great work of biographical and historical literature… Since Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were the architects of all important domestic and foreign policies of the United States in the twentieth century, this book will be read avidly by persons interested in how we came to be what we are as a nation in the 1980s.”―Arthur S. Link, Princeton University
“A book that should become a classic in the field. The comparative perspective really works. The two men had enough in common, yet were sufficiently distinctive, for the comparative perspective to add significantly to our understanding of each person.”―Paul K. Conkin, Vanderbilt University
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Product details
- Publisher : Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press; 60552nd edition (October 15, 1985)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 480 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0674947517
- ISBN-13 : 978-0674947511
- Item Weight : 1.48 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 1.25 x 9.25 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,116,881 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1,376 in General Elections & Political Process
- #3,155 in US Presidents
- #42,631 in World History (Books)
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Woodrow Wilson was the son of a prominent Presbyterian pastor. He was born in Staunton Virginia in 1856. Wilson overcame dyslexia and is the only POTUS to have earned a Ph.D. He taught in several colleges and served a memorable term as President of Princeton University. Wilson served as Governor of New Jersey and two terms as POTUS winning office in 1912. He was a progressive and an intellectual. Like Roosevelt he has a terrible record on civil rights for African-Americans and women's suffrage. Wilson could be prickly and cold in his personal relationships. He and TR strongly disliked one another. The two men disagreed strongly over American entry into World War I; T.R. favored fighting while Wilson wanted to remain neutral,. Wilson's efforts to get the United States to join the League of Nations was a failure; strokes limited his effectiveness and he died in 1924.
Cooper argues that Roosevelt and Wilson were important leaders who set the course of American politics for generations to come. FDR and the growth of the federal government owe much to the progressive movement. Not since Hamilton and Jefferson dueled had the nation seen two such giants as T.R. and Wilson in the political arena.
This is an excellent dual biography of two great men. Strongly recommended
Cooper explores the lives of these two men from the boyhood aspirations to their confrontational politics of the 1910s, but this is not a parallel biography, but rather a study of their ideological origins and their policies which the author states formed the structure of our political debate ever since.
The crucial years 1912-1920 are covered in detail and form the nexus of the book. The sharpest contrasts in their personalities and policies could be seen during this time. On domestic issues there wasn't any particular dramatic contrasts. In fact, in many ways their policies paralleled each other. The differences arose mostly over their styles. Roosevelt preferred the bully pulpit while Wilson used a more "collegiate" approach in forming a consensus to the policies he favored.
Where they diverged dramatically was over WWI, and Cooper richly illustrates their differences, especially when it came to the League of Nations. Wilson wanted "peace without victory" where he felt the US and European countries could come together in a league as equals, whereas Roosevelt demanded a complete and total victory over Germany, pledging full support to the allies. Only then could a League of Nations work, he thought, where the US, Britain and France held primacy. Wilson felt this was the worst possible outcome because Germany would be relegated to a defeatist position and become a long term problem. Seems history bore out Wilson's view.
The book does require some previous knowledge of the two Presidents, but reads well on its own with plenty of footnotes to key the reader in to the events. At times, Cooper seems to struggle in this Nietzschean view, admitting that the distinctions don't always function, but serve well as ideological signposts.


