Introduction
From the beginning of the First World War in 1914, the United States did not interfere in the course of events, taking a neutral position. President Woodrow Wilson combined legalism, moralism, and idealism to argue for US entry into World War I. In the beginning, Wilson was against the entry of the States into the war, even though many Americans were killed in Europe. However, his opinion later changed due to the more aggressive behavior of Germany, which began to attack American merchant ships frequently. The President was able to achieve entry into the war thanks to his policy of legalism, moralism, and idealism.
Legalism
The primary tool of legalism that Woodrow Wilson used to facilitate the entry of the United States into the war was censorship. In every possible way, the authorities limited the freedom of speech, especially those who spoke out against the war. Thus, people who opposed the war turned out to be violators of the rules, condemned and punished. This later led to the birth of the National Civil Liberties Bureau, whose activists advocated the observance of civil rights, The American Yawp. (n.d.). Legalism can also be considered already during the war when a law was passed to send more soldiers to war.
Moralism
The moral aspect of Woodrow Wilson’s activities during the First World War can be described as a compromise between morality and authoritarian politics. Wilson used morality primarily to explain why America should go to war and why it was the right thing to do. When the President decided to go to war, he did not do so for any particular pragmatic reason but because he wanted to protect democracy (Papagaryfallou, 2020). Thus, the idea was imposed on the people that the entry of the United States into the war was the only correct moral decision. This ultimately served as the factor due to which America, according to Wilson, could not stand aside.
Idealism
Woodrow Wilson’s idealism was that he believed that it was not enough just to win the war but to destroy the very causes of the war and stop its repetition. One of the main theses of the President at the time was the assertion that only peace between equals can last long (National Archives, n.d.). According to Wilson, all countries should unite to achieve common goals in unison. Wilson’s speeches reflected idealism in that he always wanted to achieve a result that would be better than what was available. For Wilson’s idealism, the war seriously disrupted the world order and showed numerous flaws in the international system. The idealistic vision prompted the President to rebuild the world immediately after the war.
Consequences of Idealism
One of its main findings of Wilson was the proposal to form an international organization called the League of Nations. To bring his plan to life, the President even developed the Fourteen Points of Peace steps, which were announced on 8 January 1918 in front of Congress (Phelps & Wallach, 2022). Wilson’s principles were based on the fact that all countries must act together to prevent further wars. However, this theory did not consider that each nation will want to stick to its interests, some will want to maintain the status quo, and some will not. Wilson’s rules were silent on the resolution of the conflict and the interests of each country. Ultimately, Wilson’s idealism led to disappointment both in America itself and in other countries because the resident promised more than it was objectively possible to do. Every politics needs an idealistic vision of the future and realism in relation to the present.
Conclusion
In any international and domestic politics, an essential aspect of maintaining order is to maintain balance. Woodrow Wilson could not fully adhere to this rule, and everything he did was oversaturated with excessive zeal and optimism. Ultimately, this led to the fact that the people experienced some kind of small shock when the President’s plans did not come true, and the promised peace could not be maintained for a long time.
References
National Archives. (n.d.). President Woodrow Wilson’s 14 Points (1918). Web.
Papagaryfallou, I. (2020) The Moralist: Woodrow Wilson and The World He Made, Diplomacy & Statecraft, 31:2, 391-393. Web.
Phelps, W. & Wallach, J. (Eds). (2022). Containing Multitudes: A Documentary Reader of US History volume II since 1865. University of Arkansas Press.
The American Yawp. (n.d.). The progressive era. Web.