Wilson’s blunder
Like Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson is one of the best presidents who just served at a bad time as claimed by Kendrick A. Clements, a historian formerly at the University of South Carolina. Clements praises the Wilson administration for its foreign policies and helping America emerge as a world power. Jim Powell of the Cato Institute, on the other hand has a different opinion. According to Powell, Wilson is the worst president in American history. He says, in his need to join the League of Nations, Wilson refused to see that the members of the League would only comprise of winners and their allies of war, which he said would prevent future wars. Powell puts Wilson responsible for millions of deaths and “responsible for the rise of the most murderous dictators who ever lived,” referring to Hitler, Lenin and Stalin. He quotes Wilson himself as he says that Wilson was far …show more content…
Meanwhile, Wilson ordered merchant ships to be armed and staffed with Navy crews and let them to head towards the war zone, four of which would be sunk before Wilson would request the Congress for a declaration of war (Woods). This would finally get America officially into war.
Powell says, “Wilson wanted to demonstrate the global influence of the U.S. by presiding at postwar negotiations, but he figured he could do that only if the U.S. were a belligerent. He had offered his services as a mediator, but his prospective allies, the French and British, weren’t interested.” Historian Barbara Tuchman adds, “It was not mediation, they wanted from America, but her great, untapped strength” (Powell). Powell calls World War I history’s worst catastrophe and holding President Wilson responsible for consequences that later played in Germany and Russia with the rise of Hitler and
Like Lincoln, Woodrow Wilson is one of the best presidents who just served at a bad time as claimed by Kendrick A. Clements, a historian formerly at the University of South Carolina. Clements praises the Wilson administration for its foreign policies and helping America emerge as a world power. Jim Powell of the Cato Institute, on the other hand has a different opinion. According to Powell, Wilson is the worst president in American history. He says, in his need to join the League of Nations, Wilson refused to see that the members of the League would only comprise of winners and their allies of war, which he said would prevent future wars. Powell puts Wilson responsible for millions of deaths and “responsible for the rise of the most murderous dictators who ever lived,” referring to Hitler, Lenin and Stalin. He quotes Wilson himself as he says that Wilson was far …show more content…
Meanwhile, Wilson ordered merchant ships to be armed and staffed with Navy crews and let them to head towards the war zone, four of which would be sunk before Wilson would request the Congress for a declaration of war (Woods). This would finally get America officially into war.
Powell says, “Wilson wanted to demonstrate the global influence of the U.S. by presiding at postwar negotiations, but he figured he could do that only if the U.S. were a belligerent. He had offered his services as a mediator, but his prospective allies, the French and British, weren’t interested.” Historian Barbara Tuchman adds, “It was not mediation, they wanted from America, but her great, untapped strength” (Powell). Powell calls World War I history’s worst catastrophe and holding President Wilson responsible for consequences that later played in Germany and Russia with the rise of Hitler and