The book by Knock, To End All Wars, is a superbly written
analysis of Wilson, WW I and his attempts to use it as a vehicle for his world
view. This is not a biography of Wilson nor is it an analysis of the Treaty
that ended WW I. It is as the author states an interweaving of Wilson, the man
and the President, into, through and after the War. Wilson was a complex person,
at times very idealistic, and at others quite pragmatic. However as the author
demonstrates the more idealistic Wilson prevailed through his attempts to reach
agreements at the end of the War which he felt promoted World peace.
The author commences with an excellent discussion of Wilson
and some elements of the Socialist movement. On the one hand he saw them as
fellow progressives and on the other hand, as the case with Debs and my
grandmother (she was one of the heads of the Socialist Party in NY and I recall
many of the details of Wilson and he somewhat heavy handed way of dealing with
differing views; she is third from the right above just before Wilson ordered the imprisonment of all of the women above in Lorton), he saw them as threats to his unlimited power. Thus there was
a love and hate relationship. The author focuses on the productive parts of the
relationship in the early years when their interests coincided. Yet the
Socialists were not just one group, there were many flavors of Socialism and
this, in itself, made it difficult to understand. Wilson as the author
indicates tries to benefit from their support.
Then the author discusses the internationalism of Wilson.
His interactions with Croly of the New Republic and also with Lippmann, were
positive initially and they were supporters. But those relationships were to
falter as Wilson exercised his approach to Presidential power.
Wilson seemed to deal with international relations in the
almost academic framework that he did with most everything else. For example
and as discussed the Mexican War was an out and out fiasco. The US Army
wandered around Mexico without maps searching for Villa as an attempt to
solidify American interests. It accomplished nothing other than demonstrating
that Pershing and his forces were totally unprepared to even capture one
wandering band of “outlaws”. Regrettably the same leadership sent the Army to
France, often coatless and untrained and ill equipped.
The author spends a considerable amount of time discussing
the negotiations and Wilsons almost arrogant teacher like approach dealing with
very sophisticated politicians in France and the UK.
On p 210 ius the most telling of all descriptions: “Everything
reminded me of a faculty committee meeting, rather than a gathering of
statesmen.” is the quote from one observer. On p 204 the author effectively
tells why: “Wilson wrote two constitutions for the League of Nations…”
Namely Wilson had the continuing desire to do the work
himself and then try to cajole the others into his way of thinking. These
observations are just a few of the battery of focused observations made by the
author that demonstrate better than almost all other writers on Wilson his true
weakness. Namely he believed he could lead all the others by the power of his
intellect and delivering in words fait accompli. But to the old European
players at the table the work was often done in classic Byzantine manner, no
pun intended.
There are several points which the author has noted
adequately covered which I believe are germane to this topic. Specifically:
1. Wilson’s Health: Wilson had significant cardiovascular
problems, most likely suffering from mild strokes on prior occasions and
ultimately, while pushing the League, suffered a massive stroke. His health was
always an issue, delimiting the time he spent on ever more complex issues. It
would have been fruitful to have melded the health issues into the timing of
many of the decisions.
2. Wilson’s Second Wife: The death of his first wife and the
near instant remarrying to a strong and controlling second wife was undoubtedly
a significant factor in his thinking. Yet understanding that has always been a
complex task and the author sidesteps this issue. The author treats Wilson as
the President and does not reflect on this type of influence. How important
this was can be debated but her influence cannot.
3. Wilson and House: House, the self-appointed Colonel, had
attached himself to Wilson and for years was apparently the driving force for
many of Wilson’s efforts, especially towards the end of the War where House
actually represented the US with foreign entities, albeit having no real
recognized official position. Then almost suddenly at the end of the
negotiations there is a break with House, Wilson just seizes the moment and
send him off. One can look at the positive and negative side of the
Wilson-House relationship but it was clear that House was a significant factor.
The author correctly acknowledges House’s presence but his influence should
have been more extensively explored.
4. Wilson’s Limited International Exposure: American
Presidents all too often have delimited international experience. Teddy
Roosevelt just seemed to bluster his way about and was in effect the first internationally
influencing president. But TR’s impact was limited. On the other hand Wilson
was the first President to fully step upon the world stage. Unlike FDR who had
multiple internal advisers as well as building his relationships with Churchill
and Stalin, Wilson had not real exposure to the field of international
diplomacy. In fact when he completed his PhD at Hopkins he barely got passed
his German requirement, and some say barely is being generous. Thus having no
alliances, having no experience, and having no understanding of the depth of
historical precedents, he walked into the middle of negotiations assuming them
to be created of whole cloth. He soon found to the contrary. This would have
been of interest to have been developed a bit more.
Notwithstanding the above fine points, personal in nature,
this is one of the best works on Wilson available. It manages to tie together
all of the key facts and allows the reader to have a better understanding of
the man and his abilities and lack thereof. I would strongly recommend this to
anyone trying to understand Wilson and more importantly anyone trying to
understand the Presidency and the issues that can arise from a poorly prepared
person who attains that position. In this case the past is always prologue to
the future.
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