Wilsonianism

In Wilsonianism , American foreign relations specialist Lloyd E. Ambrosius has compiled his published and unpublished essays on Woodrow Wilson's liberal ideology and statecraft during and after World War I. Although the president failed in his pursuit of a new world order, his legacy of Wilsonianism - the principles of national self-determination, economic globalization, collective security, and progressive historicism - continued to shape U.S. foreign relations throughout the American Century. Ambrosius examines the American roots of Wilson's liberal internationalism, the dilemmas and contradictions in his principles, and the problematic consequences of U.S. efforts to implement Wilsonian ideals without fully appreciating the world's cultural pluralism as well as its economic and political interdependence. Offering a pluralist variant of the realist tradition in international relations, Ambrosius stresses the centrality of power; but maintains that culture and political economy as well as military strength determine the balance of power within and among nations or empires. Consequently, he concludes, making the world safe for democracy has been more problematic in practice, both at home and abroad, than proclaiming Wilsonian principles in the abstract.

'...this work shows the author at his most perceptive and, at times, brilliant...highly recommended.' - J.D. Doenecke, Choice

'...an impressively researched, closely reasoned and cogently argued set of essays.' - Joseph A. Fry, International History Review

Autorentext
LLOYD E. AMBROSIUS is professor of history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A specialist in the history of American foreign relations, he is the author of 2 books and over 20 articles on Woodrow Wilson.

Zusammenfassung
Ambrosius examines the American roots of Wilson's liberal internationalism, the dilemmas and contradictions in his principles, and the problematic consequences of U.S. efforts to implement Wilsonian ideals without fully appreciating the world's cultural pluralism as well as its economic and political interdependence.

Inhalt
Introduction History and Ideology Woodrow Wilson and the Culture of Wilsonianism Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for Orderly Progress Collective Security and the German Problem Wilson's League of Nations: Collective Security and National Independence Wilson, Clemenceau, and the German Problem at the Paris Peace Conference Secret German-American Negotiations during the Paris Peace Conference Wilson, the Republicans, and French Security after World War I The United States and the Weimar Republic: America's Response to the German Problem National Self-Determination and Ethnic Politics Ethnic Politics and German-American Relations after World War I: The Fight over the Versailles Treaty in the United States Dilemmas of National Self-Determination: Woodrow Wilson's Legacy Historiography and Wilsonian Statecraft Woodrow Wilson's Health and the Treaty Fight, 1919-1920 The Orthodoxy of Revisionism: Woodrow Wilson and the New Left Vietnam Revisited: Wilson's Ghost Post-Cold War Wilsonianism: America's Mission?