History 485

Devine

Fall 2015

Study Questions

John W. Coogan, “Wilsonian Diplomacy in War and Peace”

1. How does understanding Wilson’s complexities and contradictions help make sense of how he conducted U.S. foreign policy? According to Coogan, what are the three key points to understanding Woodrow Wilson?

2. What did President Wilson think of the State Department? How did he treat his ambassadors and diplomats? Did his behavior hinder U.S. foreign policy aims?

3. How did Wilson’s views on race affect his administration’s policies?

4. According to Coogan, how did President Wilson “poison” Japanese-American relations? Why did this happen?

5. Why did Wilson decide to enter the war on the Allies side?

6. Why does Coogan believe that the United States benefited from the “power vacuum” (82) in Europe? To what extent did Wilson’s policies increase U.S. power after the war?

7. According to Coogan, why did President Wilson compromise so many of his principles during the Paris Peace Conference? How would you assess this strategy?

8. Did economic and ideological concerns affect President Wilson’s handling of U.S. foreign policy?

Walter McDougall, “Wilsonianism or Liberal Internationalism (so called)”

1. What role did Woodrow Wilson’s personal qualities play in his formulation of policy? Does McDougall make a good case that individuals and their unique quirks and prejudices can be determinative in shaping international events?

2. “I am going to teach the South American republics to elect good men,” said Woodrow Wilson. Why does McDougall find such a “crusading” approach to policy ill-advised? Is he right?

3. McDougall thinks Wilson was on a crusade when he brought the US into World War I. What was the President crusading for?

4. Why didn’t Wilson have much leverage when he got to Versailles to negotiate peace?

5. What objections did the Senators raise to Wilson’s treaty, particularly Article Ten? If 80 percent of the Senate and the nation were ready to accept the League of Nations in some form, why didn’t the US end up joining it?

6. “Mr. Wilson was devoured by the desire for power,” declared his nemesis Henry Cabot Lodge. Is Lodge right? Or did other factors lead to Wilson’s failure to secure passage of the Treaty of Versailles?