Woodrow Wilson ideology Flashcards
introduction to WW
o Woodrow Wilson = 28th president of the united state
o 1913-1921 through ww1 and the pace settlement
realism deifnition (3)
• realism = realpolitik = power politics Power goal of any political action
o Domestic: politicians ought to maximise power
o International
♣ Nation states ought to maximise power
o International relations based on self-interest
liberal internationalist definition
♣ increase of harmonious cooperation between political communities
liberal states should intervene in other sovereign states in order to pursueliberalobjectives
• global free trade
• liberal economics
• liberal political systems
• democracy lasting peace
idealist definition
♣ Political idealism in international relations represents a set of ideas which together oppose war and advocate the reform of international community through dependence upon moral values and the development of international institutions and international law - Russell
ww as realist in appraoch fo ww1
- Its isolationism before 1917
♣ Didn’t want to lead US to war cause it would have been a huge humanitarian and economic cost which would have aggravated the situation of the July 1914 crisis
• 100,000 people army at least
• war economy
o less labour to become soldiers
o direct capital to war production rather than development and welfare
o more liquid capital needed risk of inflation - Link: realist when he intervened
♣ no other way to protect America’s right on the sea
♣ Germany was threatening US national security
• Submarines attacks
• Alliance with mexico 1917
criticism of realism in apprach to ww1
♣ Williams: realist of different type
• Imperialist
o Ambition to make the US the world’s dominant economic power
liberal internationalist in approach to ww1
• Intervention
o Intervened in order to
♣ create peace – 22.01.17
• ‘peace without victory’ based on equality and common participation for lasting peace
criticism of liberal internationalist in approach to ww1
o There is no actual prof that they intervened to maintain peace rather than to preserve their power and repetutation against Germany submarines attack
o Trask: believed that the us intervened to increase its space in post-war conferences
idealist in approach to ww1
- 2.04.1917: the world has to be made safe for democracy
• USA democracy
• Democracy is the fulfilment of all moral goals
o Liberty government by consent of the governed
o Equality of rights
o Justice - liberalisation the people – 2.4.17
• can chose their way of life
• self-determination
realsim in 14 point speech
o Not 14 point speech barely even nominated the United States
♣ Free trade + free navigation = charachteristic of liberalism
liberal internationalist in 14 point speech
♣ call for free trade
♣ free navigation
♣ open diplomacy liberalist as knowledge is believed to allow a greater freedom in choice
criticism of liberal internationalist in 14 point speech
♣ biggest problem is the call for self-determination as liberal internationalist believed that liberal states should intervene in other state in order to pursue liberal objectives
♣ didn’t call for democracy key part in liberalism
idealism in 14 piint speech 2- 4 - 3
- league of nation
• idealism as its finest
o Permanent Curt of Justice
♣ Can judge nations behaviour
o Democratic type of orgnaisation
o Intergovernmental
o No army
o Eliminate crude power from international relations
o Natural harmony of interests - Self-determination
• Sovereignty resides in the nation
• Government by the consent of the governed
o Achievement of moral goals of freedom
• Self-determination would avoid future conflict
o Avoid oppression
o Avoid violence on minorities
o Believed once a country is self-determined it is more stable in its foreign policy and more in harmony within the international arena as
♣ Domestic source of international conflict is avoided
♣ Universal respect for each nation’s aspirations and desires
realism in peace settlement 2
- Wanted to sabotage the brest-litovsk treaty for self interest
• Russia too valuable asset to lose it to Germany - Called for self-determination even more intensly when he realised that it was harder to isolate germany from the Austrian-Hungarian in order to isolate Germany and achieve peace more quickly
• Germany wasn’t standing down on many concessions
• Wasn’t compromising e.g. Alsace-lorraine
criticism of realism in peace settlement 4
♣ Wilson was selfless
• Stevenson:
o Wanted to end war at any cost
♣ Called for non-intervention on all sides
o Make allies achieve what they want not self-interest because the war was fought in Europe therefore territorial claims didn’t involve the united states
o Loosing Russia wasn’t for American self-interest but the allies cause losing Russia with Germany would have meant
♣ Longer war
♣ And allies attacked full scale from the east
