The Moralist: Woodrow Wilson and the World He Made

Synopsis

By The Author Of Acclaimed Biographies Of Theodore Roosevelt And Henry Adams, A Penetrating Biography Of One Of The Most High-minded, Consequential, And Controversial Us Presidents, Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924). The Moralist Is A Cautionary Tale About The Perils Of Moral Vanity And American Overreach In Foreign Affairs.--provided By Publisher. President From 1913 To 1921, Wilson Set A High Bar For Himself And The Country. No President Believed More Fervently In The Primacy Of Morality In Politics Or The 'moral Force' Of Ideas. [this Book] Measures Wilson By His Own Standards While Recounting His Unprecedented Success As An Economic Reformer, His Grand Vision For A Peaceful World Order, His Moral Blind Spots (on Race, Women's Suffrage, And Free Speech In Wartime), And A Final Defeat That Was Largely Self-inflicted. The Moralist Is A Cautionary Tale About Moral Vanity And The Limitations Of Leadership That Strays Too Far From Political Realities. But It Is Also A Tale Of The Enduring Power Of High Ideals. Despite Wilson's Missteps, His Searching Moral Questions--about The Role Of A Government In The Lives Of Its People And About The Duty Of The United States To The Larger World--transformed The Economy And Revolutionized International Relations. Wilson's Ideas Remained At The Heart Of American Political Debate For The Rest Of The Twentieth Century. The Challenges Of The Twenty-first Require Many Answers That Wilson Could Not Have Supplied, But His Central Moral Question--what Is The Right Thing For A Government To Do?--is As Relevant, And As Urgent, As Ever.--dust Jacket. Son Of The South -- When A Man Comes To Himself -- Ascent -- Against All Odds -- A New Freedom -- A President Begins -- Lines Of Accommodation -- Our Detached And Distant Situation -- Moral Force -- A Psychological Moment -- Departures -- The General Wreck -- At Sea -- Moonshine -- Strict Accountability -- Haven -- Dodging Trouble -- The World Is On Fire -- Stumbling In The Dark -- The Mystic Influence Of The Stars And Stripes -- By A Whisker -- Verge Of War -- Decision -- The Associate -- The Right Men -- One White-hot Mass Instinct -- Over Here, Over There -- So Many Problems Per Diem -- Defiance -- Final Triumph -- Storm Warning -- The Fog Of Peace -- Settling The Accounts -- Stroking The Cat The Wrong Way -- Paralyzed -- Altogether An Unfortunate Mess -- Breaking The Heart Of The World -- Best Of The Second-raters -- Swimming Upstream -- Epilogue. Patricia O'toole. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.