Free Essay

Wilsonianism

In: Historical Events

Submitted By kylekapanek
Words 1690
Pages 7
Wilsonianism or Wilsonian are words used to describe a certain type of ideological perspectives on foreign policy. The term comes from the ideology of United States President Woodrow Wilson and his famous Fourteen Points that he believed would help create world peace if implemented. A quote shows the basic effort of the Wilsonian movement “The first (and for some the only) defining element of Wilsonianism is the conviction that a leading priority of U.S. foreign policy should be the promotion of democratic government the world around—"national self-determination," as Wilson put it (Wilson, 2000). This means in its most basic definition, the ability of a community to choose its political destiny. Woodrow Wilson also believed that any legitimate government should be derived from the consent of the people it governs. Besides the literal definitions of Wilsonianism, there is much more meaning and context when it comes to the wilsonian movement that the ideology seemed to spark. The fourteen points were the original introduction of the wilsonian ideals, and were brought upon by fear of worsening global relationships, especially with European countries such as Great Britain. The fourteen points speech was given after the U.S. joined the allied powers and joined the World War. After remaining neutral for quite some time, the U.S. was essentially forced into joining the cause and listed out the fourteen points so as to not worsen relations after the war would be complete. The fourteen points were an outline of how postwar peace amongst the world could be achieved, and how Woodrow Wilson planned to kick-start this effort. Wilsonianism could also be loosely defined as a time in which foreign policy was viewed as a top priority, not only by internal views in the U.S. but worldwide, as nations attempted to come together to resolve any further or residing conflicts and work towards peace. The Paris Peace Conference was brought about as a meeting with the allied powers to set the terms of peace for the central powers, who were defeated in their war efforts. This was the first real effort of nations to come together and agree on terms of peace. Woodrow Wilson, as a leader of the top country at that point in time, had much influence over these proceedings, and was a major factor in the original formation in the idea of the meeting itself. A quote from The wilsonian Moment expresses the international positive feelings towards Wilson, “The next morning, as the president drove down the Champs Élysées in an open-top automobile, girls in Alsatian costumes threw flowers on him and the cheering crowds called, “Vive Wilson! Vive l’Amérique! Vive la liberté!” (Manela, 2007). Following the introduction of The Fourteen Points to the world, His ideals seemed to have an increasingly important role throughout the colonized world. The points that he outlines seems to directly disagree with the idea of colonization in the world, and colonized areas such as India and Korea took head of these principals. Under rule of separate countries, these colonized areas did not feel they had proper freedoms or representation in world affairs. In the fall and winter of 1918–1919, such perceptions of Wilson and the United States reinforced the sense that a chance for colonial liberation could be achieved. The demands for self-determination set forth seemed to create a domino effect throughout the world. Self-determination became incredibly important in colonized areas. Leaders such as Zaghlul who was the leader of the Egyptian Wafd party, who were previously not opposed to colonization, now came out against it in an effort for independence. Egypt for example, who was under colonial rule of the British, was a main participant in what seemed to be a revolution for independence from colonial rule brought upon by Wilsonian ideals. They began a social uprising in an effort to restrain from British protectorate. After the arrest of Sa’d Zaghlul by the British officials, a quote from Worlds Together, Worlds Apart shows the social unrest that followed, “When news of this action came out, the country burst into revolt. Rural rebels broke away from the central government, proclaiming local republics. Villagers tore up railway lines and telegraph wires, the symbols of British authority” (Tignor, 2013). Protest demonstrations broke out throughout the country, sometimes accompanied by small-scale violence in the form of rioting such as in Cairo, the city of Tanta, and in Asyut Province. The British violently suppressed demonstrations and killed hundreds of protestors. Korea also was under the control of another nation. Japan had control over Korea, and Korea, wanting a voice in national affairs, found this task difficult under Japanese control. “During the war the censors tried to keep the language of self-determination out, but during the last months of the war, Koreans seized on Wilson and his principles as they began to contemplate the possibilities of the postwar world.” (Tignor, 2013). As the peace conference began, they did all they could to make sure the transformation proposed by Wilson would occur. On the morning of March 1, 1919, thirty-three prominent religious and civic leaders in Seoul gathered to sign a document they called Korea’s Declaration of Independence. This sparked vast anti-colonial nationalism and led to The March First movement, which was a mass movement of all social groups of society, and represented the building resistance toward Japanese control. Colonies such as Korea and India who were under foreign rule were very much in favor of Wilsonian ideals, and Wilsonianism seemed to be very popular amongst them. Wilsonianism seemed to be popular due to the fact that they had never had representation on such a major scale like they had with the president of the most powerful country in the world at the time. Once introduced to these ideas, colonies seemed to have a voice for their liberation, and a backing from a major political, international power. A quote from The Wilsonian Moment shows how much the U.S. was relied upon for international affairs ” the American people had come to lead all nations in freedom, prosperity, education, and culture (Manela, 2007). Wilson seemed to instill much anti-colonial nationalistic pride in all of these colonies and brought about a sense of pride that had never been seen before. These colonies had a unifying force, and this led to much social unrest with the objective of political reform. The U.S. stating its goals for international political independence and representation not only brought about nationalistic feelings, but instilled a glimmer of hope in international affairs, as they had another country also fighting for independence of colonial rule. With the U.S. also fighting for liberation, they could fight their battles on the home front directly against their ruling nation, while the U.S. and other nations also fought for independence on a global political scale. The combination of these factors made Wilsonianism incredibly popular in colonial nations. Although Wilsonianism had a vast global effect, in the long run, after everything was said and done with the Paris Peace Conference, the Wilsonian movement failed. The major problem was that the movement was mainly based on ideas that other major political players such as France and Britain were not on board with. Fighting this opposition proved to be too tall of a task for Wilsonianism to triumph. Liberals and radicals didn’t think Woodrow Wilson went far enough to implement these ideas, and conservatives and imperialists thought he went too far. There was no pleasing everyone, and worldwide peace was not accomplished. Among the many factors for the failure of these ideals is the decision of the U.S. to side with the British protectorate in Egypt. After all the social unrest and uprisings in Egypt, Woodrow Wilson seemed to go directly against his ideals set forth in the fourteen points when he sided with the British in control over Egypt. This decision came as a major shock but was ultimately arrived upon due to too much political power and pressure from the British. Another major factor in the failure of these ideas was The U.S. deciding to side with Japan over the conflict of returning Shandong, a coastal region that had previously been part of China. Japan had taken this area during the war and China was almost in agreement to sign the treaty if Japan would return this province. After the U.S. sided with the Japan, it caused another upheaval of insults towards Wilson. It seemed as though he had been hypocritical and gone against what he claimed to have stood for again. Basically, Wilsonianism failed because it was too idealistic. None of the other countries at the Paris Peace Conference were interested in trying to have a perfect world that was based on everyone being nice to one another. The other countries wanted to either get rewarded for fighting in WWI, get revenge on their enemies, or both. For example, both France and England wanted to make Germany pay for starting the war. Italy wanted to be given an empire. So did Japan. Only Wilson wanted an ideal world order based on countries foregoing their selfish interests and acting in ways that would be best for the world as a whole. The treaty of Versailles was basically a settlement and did not accomplish what was originally intended. The political fading of Woodrow Wilson after his stroke also did not help in the diminishing of Wilsonian ideals Although Wilsonianism did fail at the time, it did provide future generations with a basis for political and social change on an international scale. It did not accomplish what wanted to be accomplished originally, but it gave nations under strife a reason to be nationalistic and gave future colonial or oppressed areas a basis for which to fight for independence and liberation from foreign influence.

Works Cited
(n.d.).
Manela, E. (2007). The Wilsonian Moment. New York: Oxfor University Press.
Tignor, R. (2013). Worlds Together, Worlds Apart. Norton Publishing.
Wilson, T. (2000). Wilsonianism. Retrieved 04 20, 2015, from Encyclopedia of the new American Nation: http://www.americanforeignrelations.com/O-W/Wilsonianism.html

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Manifest Destiny Research Paper

...imperialism was not more moral than the actions of other European colonial powers, as our desire to grow militarily and economically was masked by altruistic motives that turned out to be thinly veiled racism. In this paper, I will argue that America cannot have an empire because the main goal is to serve our economic and military interests; we trample on the will of the locals, and threaten them if they don’t cooperate. Having an empire only serves our economic and military interests. Under Hamiltonianism, a large, strong standing nation should use the power of government to foster economic expansion and promote open markets so everyone will be better off. This sentiment serves our economic interests, but other nations’ as well. Under Wilsonianism, countries should be able to determine their own fate and self-govern without overrule. This method promotes intervention, but only to promote reform and prevent war. These were put into practice in the Spanish American War, and the justifications that were used to proceed. However, rather than opening the seas to more trade for everyone or reforming the Cuban government, it mainly benefitted the United States. Political leaders and members of the media were craving expansion and a new outlet for energy with the frontier gone, and American citizens needed to bounce back from the financial crisis that occurred in 1893. The Monroe Doctrine was abandoned and the United States clearly broke away from its unilateralist policy. Adding Cuba...

Words: 1710 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Comparing George Washington's Farewell Address And The Monroe Doctrine

...League, but many Republican senators and Nationalists developed “reservations” to have the United States to do whatever pleased them rather than on the interests of other nations. The Progressives were the only left that supported Woodrow Wilson’s reason for being in the league, but disagreed on the vote of the Executive Council in which Progressives thought limited the League’s authority to have peace. There was opposition to the United States joining the League, so Wilson went on a tour across the United States to rally America’s acceptance for the League because he believed that the United States had to be in the League to stop wars, but Wilson suffered a stroke due to exhaustion. Wilson’s new approach to foreign policy is called “Wilsonianism” which had principles for cooperation of nations, disarmament and self-determination. There principles surfaced during the World War Two, Cold War, and the fall of the Soviet Union. ...

Words: 521 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

How Did Woodrow Wilson Create An Isolationist Government

...created the League of Nations. The Covenants purpose was to maintain peace including the establishment of Article X which protected members from external aggressions in order to promote a change in international relations and departure of American isolationism. When Wilson mistakenly failed to include Republicans in the delegation who made up most of the Senate, many feared the covenant was weak, forcing Wilson to make changes including an article that would safeguard the Monroe Doctrine. Additionally, Republicans still made reservations against the League among them the approval of military actions under Article X. When the treaty was defeated in Senate, and Wilson's health declined the League became abandoned. Overall, Wilson promoted Wilsonianism; the balance of power and establishment of peace. His ideas and passion of spreading democracy are seen in current decisions of the future. ...

Words: 533 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Who Started the Cold War and Why?

...Who started the cold war and why? The Cold War was started by the principal victors of World War II: the United States of America, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and to a lesser extent Britain. The Cold War was essentially an ideological struggle which but soon adopted all facets of full international conflict with its geopolitical, economic and also scientific-technological aspects. The earliest stages of the Cold War coincided with the final defeats of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan in the first half of 1945. Both Communists and Capitalists were anxious to fill the power vacuums that the defeated Axis powers were leaving behind in Central Europe and the Pacific. From the setting of the scene at Yalta in February 1945, to the embittered conclusion of the Warsaw Pact on 14th May 1955, the worst obstacle to achieving a peace settlement was a mutual and deep-seated sense of suspicion, which the powers on either side of the 'Iron Curtain' must be held responsible for. "Twenty years ago I strove with all the energy in my power against Communism, because at that time I considered Communism, with its idea of world revolution, the greatest danger to the British Empire ... Nowadays German Nazism, with its idea of the world hegemony of Berlin, constitutes the greatest danger for the British Empire ... If the danger for the British Empire from the side of Fascism were to disappear and the danger from the side of Communism were to rise again, I - I say this absolutely...

Words: 1219 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Origins of the Cold War

...Origins of the Cold War Author(s): Arthur Schlesinger Jr. Source: Foreign Affairs, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Oct., 1967), pp. 22-52 Published by: Council on Foreign Relations Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20039280 . Accessed: 21/08/2013 03:57 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp . JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org. . Council on Foreign Relations is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Foreign Affairs. http://www.jstor.org This content downloaded from 27.254.22.254 on Wed, 21 Aug 2013 03:57:18 AM All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions THE RUSSIAN REVOLUTION?FIFTY YEARS AFTER ORIGINS OF THE COLD WAR By Arthur THE Cold War Schlesinger, Jr. in its original form was a presumably mortal antagonism, arising in the wake of the Second World War, between two rigidly hostile blocs, one led by the Soviet the other by the United States. For nearly two somber Union, and dangerous decades this antagonism the fears of dominated itmay even, on occasion, have come close to blowing up mankind; the planet. In recent...

Words: 14176 - Pages: 57