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My problem is the mixed legacy. Remember, we have been trying for those who are overall positive, and there are several things which bother me with Wilson. One, he enshrined ethnic nationalism as a principal through his insistence on "self- determination", and yet did not follow through enough to neutralize irredentist sentiment in the new states, as in the Sudetenland. Two, he used up his moral capital on his pet schemes, instead of opposing Clemenceau in the imposition of a too- punitive settlement on Germany. Three, his intransigence on the League of Nations guaranteed that we would not participate on any terms, even though flexibility could have obtained ratification. In those three ways, he certainly contributed to setting the stage for World War Two. Additionally, his reluctance to either intervene sooner or stay strictly neutral was not helpful. FDR was purposely leaning toward the Allies, and got us in as rapidly as possible. Wilson just dithered, and prolonged the agony of the trenches. Even if he had maintained a strict neutrality, it is possible that the Allies, without hope of drawing us in, would have accepted the stalemate and sued for peace, with minor revisions in the status quo ante..... |
