Was Wilson an Idealist or Realist?

The U.S. president, Woodrow Wilson, in my opinion, is seen as an idealist rather

than a realist. Though he may have thought his ideas were possible at the time, they
now seem unrealistic and almost impossible to achieve. The fact that he thought he
could get every nation to agree to end a war with no victor, or to get all the nations to
approve of his 14 Point Plan was very unlikely.

Wilson believed that the only way to make World War I a war to end all wars, was
to end it in peace without victory. In order to do this all of the nations involved in the
war must agree that there will be no winner, which, unfortunately, would have been
near impossible to accomplish. France and Britain were reluctant to accept no winner
to the war. When the War Guilt Clause was made to blame Germany for the war, it was
clear that peace without victory was not going to happen.

The 14 Point Plan was another one of Wilson’s improbable ideas. Wilson, again,
would need every nation in the world to agree to follow his plan. One of the points in
this plan was to evacuate Belgium and rebuild it. The money to fund this project
would come from all nations collectively which many countries saw as unfair because
it was Germany that had destroyed it. Another point was that all territories should be
freed and restored. To countries possessing these territories, such as France, this
seemed ridiculous to agree to.

The 14 Point Plan also included Wilson’s idea of a League of Nations. Wilson’s
idea was put into the Treaty of Versailles and accepted by the other nations but he
could not get his own senate to approve of it. The League of Nations meant that
America would have a say in European affairs, and that European countries would have
a say in American affairs, which strictly went against the Monroe Doctrine. Wilson was
stubborn and unwilling to make any changes to the treaty and therefore the senate did
not approve it.

Wilson was naïve to assume that the other nations would willingly agree to his
terms with no argument. Wilson had good ideas, with good intentions, but none of
them could have worked because he was unwilling to negotiate or compromise to
please the other countries. He concentrated too much on his 14-Point Plan and his
idea of peace without victory that he didn’t see things as they were but as they could
be. Wilson was an idealist for believing that his ideas were probable when they
weren’t.

Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American.
America is the only idealistic nation in the worl
Wilson had a clear and definite vision for the US’s future role in world affairs, as
evidenced by his fourteen points speech, his overwillingness to compromise (in trying
to further domestic program agenda, and at the Paris conference), and in his allowing
the League of Nations to die when it did not fit his original plans. Wilson’s ideas are
used even to this day, where Americans, in any conflict regarding foreign policy, see
themselves as the force of morality and their opponents as being evil, or corrupted.
Also, Americans still believe in the need to spread the ideals of democracy around the
world. The fact that Wilson has left so strong of a legacy on Americans shows that his
ideals were not naïve, but instead very well thought out and comprehensive.

Pro Summary: Wilson characterized as a noble idealist whose principles have made it
difficult for later presidents to develop a foreign policy based on national self-interest.
(Kissinger)

Believed that America’s global influence was dependent on its selflessness

Was able to take once isolationist US into war by first asserting to the public that his
administration was devoted to peace.

Affirmed that US sought no other gain than to vindicate its principles.

Based foreign policy on moralistic ideals like the spread of democracy and spread of
American principles as opposed to recognizing issues with balance of power.

Had the conviction that the Anglo-Saxon race was superior and had the duty to remake
world in their image

He thought peace was based on universal law and national trustworthiness instead of
equilibrium and national self-assertion.

No other country has based international leadership on altruism instead of national

interests.

Entrance into WWI was not based on national interests at all but rather about moral
foundations and abiding by the universal law. The effect of such a moral basis leads to
total victory as the only valid goal so compromise is not possible.

He didn’t understand that the war was actually based on clashing of national interests
and power struggle in Europe.

Fourteen Points Speech- tried to affirm that war was being fought for moralistic ideals,
as opposed to power struggle.

He immaturely supported the idea of the League of Nations

Believed in morality of the universe, and that nations of the world all interested in
protecting peace
He thought the war had resulted simply out of public ignorance bt the actual causes
were much more complicated.

Basic premise behind the League of nations was naive because in nearly all difficult
cases nations tend to disagree about the nature of a threat or discrepancy ie. Italian
aggressions and the Bosnian crisis

Inflexible in ideals

Caused by the moral foundation that he was built upon

Inflexibility evidenced by tenure at Princeton, and his many strict changes to the
school

Con Summary: Wilson understood better than his nationalistic opponents the new
international role that America would play in world affairs and was therefore not a
naïve idealist. (Carleton)

Wilson is being judged by personality traits: double standard at work.

Wilson was said to be naïve even though he wanted to preserve a power balance by
preventing Germany from being partitioned but FDR and TR supported harsh peace
and forced unconditional surrender understood it.

Long term program for America today is still based on Wilsonian liberalism- advocacy
of American values like collective security, self-determination, and democracy

At the Paris conference, European diplomats were impressed at Wilson’s negotiating

skills: compromised too much

He repeatedly helped make compromises between liberals and conservatives in the

Democratic Party and thus was able to pass the Federal Reserve Act, the Clayton Anti-
Trust Law, the Federal Trade Commission, and more.

In truth, Wilson ‘compromised too much.’ Claim that he is stubborn is based entirely
from fight in the Senate over ratification of the League of Nations

Claim that he killed his own brainchild, the League of Nations, is unfounded in that
Wilson knew that even if he attempted to appease the southerners, Lodge would
eventually put enough reservations on it so as to emasculate it.

Truly shows Wilson’s determination and consistency in wanting to create a fully

functional League

Wilson had already attempted to satisfy Lodge with the inclusion of safeguards in the
Leauge, but Lodge continued to use the Reservations to change the entire proposal
If Wilson had tried to go on with Lodge’s reservations, other Nations probably wouldn’t
even join because of the fact that the other nations had to become signees before
America even signed on, and thus they became suspicious of the agreement.

Wilson’s ideals and principles were not even naïve

Wilson’s peace without Victory speech demonstrates he had a clear understanding of

the balance of power.

Able to steer US from war with Mexico, despite tensions, and used diplomatic
understanding to help the Mexican revolution be successful.

He understood that the only way to prevent war in the future was through collective
security- League of Nations. Comparable to today’s UN

Knew that dividing Germany would not help create a power balance.

Able to keep up with need for domestic social reform

Wilson’s invasion of Haiti in 1915 ended bloody civil war

Administration expanded American bureaucracy and was the inspiration for FDR’s
New Deal.

The Treaty of Versailles was the best peace it could have been considering the
circumstances and brought forth many revolutionary ideas: The mandate system
helped prepare colonies for independence, preventing portioning of Germany, success
in confining German responsibilities to civilian damage and Allied military pensions
instead of the whole cost of the war