Woodrow Wilson Foreign Policy Under

Woodrow Wilson

Foreign Policy Under Woodrow Wilson

During his two terms in office, Woodrow Wilson handled many matters of foreign policy. At first foreign matters were of lesser concern than domestic matters for the president (Lorant, 1968). Mexico was a minor problem, in that the 1910 revolution left General Huerta in control of the country; Wilson did not recognize him as the nation's leader and it created some tension (Lorant, 1968). When the European war started in 1914. Wilson turned toward the affairs of the Great War (Marshall, 1982). At first, the war was an incredible boon to American industry, as it fueled the warring powers with goods. Wilson was known to be against U.S. involvement in the conflict, and he maintained this position through his first term. However, in April of 1914, Wilson did order for American soldiers to prevent the landing of German munitions in Mexico (Lorant, 1968).

During his second term, Wilson attempted to manage peace in the world through appeling to Germany. In January 1917 he outlined his vision for "peace without victory" (Lorant, 1968, 547). Despite this, Wilson had little choice to enter World War I after Germany launched unrestricted submarine warfare later that year. Since Germany's tactics were killing merchants and American citizens that were supposed to be protected by neutrality, Wilson asked Congress to declare war on April 6, 1917 (Marshall, 1982). This assumed the rest of his presidency, as managing the war was one of the largest undertakings of the American Presidency. Wilson found the country ill-prepared for war, and he spent a lot of time and effort mobilizing the forces quickly in order to assist allies. Since it was an allied effort, Wilson worked closely with Great Britain and France to work out attack plans and especially naval movements (Marshall, 1982).

He continued to rally for peace even while the United States was immersed in the war. In 1918 he went to Paris as the head of the American commission for negotiating a peace in Europe. He was well-received but the allies did not feel they could pull out of the war. Near the end of his term, Wilson suffered a stroke and discontinued any foreign travel, curtailing much of his presidential duties as well (Lorant, 1968).