The future US President Woodrow Wilson was born December 28, 1856 in the city of Staunton - a place in the north of Virginia. The boy had Irish and Scottish roots. Woodrow's father became a Presbyterian theologian. He was a supporter of slavery and after the outbreak of the Civil War supported the Confederates. At the church, the Wilsons even opened a hospital for wounded soldiers.
The religiousness of his father also influenced Woodrow. He chose Davidson College, located in North Carolina, to train ministers for the Presbyterian church as his place of study. Then in 1875, Woodrow Wilson entered Princeton University, where he became interested in history and political philosophy.
Scientific career
In 1882, a young specialist got the opportunity to start a career as a lawyer. However, legal practice quickly disappointed Wilson. The very next year, he decided to resume his theoretical research and went into science. The graduate student entered Johns Hopkins University, where he studied for a Ph.D. The degree was obtained in 1886. Even before this, the scientist wrote a book about the American Congress, for which he received a special award from his university.
The scientific and teaching career of the future politician was mainly associated with Princeton University, where he was in 1902-1910. held the post of rector. A fundamental five-volume “History of the American People” was written within the walls of this institution.
Political Career and Presidential Election
Wilson held the views of the Democratic Party. As her candidate, the aspiring politician was elected Governor of New Jersey in 1910. The state immediately began active social reforms, initiated by Woodrow Wilson. A brief biography of the politician would not be complete without mentioning this period of his life. Through his efforts and the promotion of new insurance laws, he has become a prominent figure on an all-American scale.
In 1912, the Democratic Party unexpectedly nominated Wilson as his candidate in the next presidential race. Those elections were unusual for the American electoral system. Usually, two main candidates argued over a chair in the White House - from the Democratic and Republican parties. In 1912, this familiar picture was broken. In addition to Wilson, the protégé of the Republicans, William Taft (27th U.S. President) and his close electorate Theodore Roosevelt (26th U.S. President), who left the Republican Party due to the conflict and founded his own Progressive, joined the race. The split could not but affect the results of the vote. Wilson confidently defeated Taft and Roosevelt, who divided the republican half of American voters.
Was the success that Woodrow Wilson achieved in 1912 deserved? A brief biography of the democrat shows that he was an atypical figure for the post of US president of that time. Wilson’s inconsistency in the first place was that he was a southerner, and his family supported the Confederates and slavery during the Civil War. Before him, all presidents were born in the northern states. If there had not been a split between Taft and Roosevelt, Taft would have defeated Wilson. However, circumstances played into the hands of the democrat, and now he had to prove that he deserved the credit of trust issued to him by American voters.
Domestic policy
Wilson's biggest reform in domestic politics was his transformation of the US financial system. In 1913, he established the Federal Reserve System. This new body has gained wide authority. The Fed began to act as the central bank and exercise control over commercial banks operating in the United States. Since its inception, the Federal Reserve System has been distinguished by its independent status. For example, she does not need the approval of the president to implement monetary and credit policy decisions. At the same time, Congress gained control of the Fed.
Even today in the United States, the same system continues to operate, the initiator of the creation of which was Woodrow Wilson. He carried out public administration, adhering to the rule of checks and balances. Under Wilson, the structure of power became more balanced than ever - not one of its branches (executive, legislative or judicial) could impose its course on the whole country. The establishment of the Fed was one of the steps to consolidate this order.
In the international arena
Woodrow Wilson had to be president in an era of turbulence for all of humanity. In 1914, the First World War began in Europe. At first, the US president did everything in order not to drag his country into a conflict in the Old World. At the same time, he tried to be a parliamentarian between the warring parties, although his proposals for negotiations did not lead to anything. Republicans believed that President Woodrow Wilson made a mistake in pursuing a peaceful policy, and constantly criticized him for his chosen foreign policy.
In May 1915, a German submarine sank the Lusitania liner, sailing off the coast of Ireland under the British flag. On board this passenger ship was a large number of American citizens (124 people). Their death caused a flurry of indignation in the United States. After this episode, the policy of pacifism, which Woodrow Wilson was a supporter, was even more criticized. The biography of this statesman, like any other US president, was full of episodes when he had to make difficult decisions. So this time in the White House they demanded that Germany stop the unrestricted submarine war, due to which the Lizitania died. The Germans lost. At the same time, Wilson began to persuade the British to limit the naval blockade of the enemy. The dispute between official Washington and London led to some cooling of their relationship.
Declaration of war of Germany
It was the foreign policy situation that became a key factor in the presidential election of 1916, at which Wilson ran for a second term. His election campaign was based on the fact that it was he who was able to save the United States from joining the big war. The main rival of the first person was Republican candidate Charles Hughes. Elections showed almost equal popularity of opponents. In some states, Hughes won with a minimum margin, in some - Wilson. In the end, it was the incumbent president who managed to retain the coveted seat.
One month after taking office, Wilson initiated a declaration of war on Germany. What was the reason for this sharp turn? First, the Germans, contrary to their promises, renewed the submarine war and again began to threaten American ships and citizens traveling to Europe. Secondly, British intelligence intercepted the so-called "Zimmermann telegram" and transmitted it to the United States. The essence of the document was that the Germans persuaded Mexico to declare war on its northern neighbor if Washington nevertheless decided to oppose the Reich. A telegram from German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann was published in print. Anti-German sentiments began to boil in the USA again. Against this background, Woodrow Wilson's diplomacy abruptly changed course. On April 6, 1917, the United States declared war on the German Empire.
"Fourteen points"
First of all, Washington greatly expanded the program of naval and economic assistance to the allies. Formally, the United States did not enter the Entente, but acted as an associated country. All front-line operations were led by General John Pershing. In October 1917, American troops appeared in France, and in July 1918 - in Italy.
Wilson, in turn, led diplomacy. He formulated the famous Fourteen Points. It was a program of the future world order. Wilson hoped to build such a system of international relations, in which the possibility of war would be minimized. The key decision, implemented according to the program of the American president, was the establishment of the League of Nations. This international organization was the first of its kind. Today, it is naturally considered the forerunner of the UN. The Fourteen Points was publicly formulated on January 8, 1918 in a speech delivered before Congress by Woodrow Wilson. Quotes from it immediately hit all the major newspapers.
Paris Peace Conference
The United States entered the war against Germany at the final stage of the conflict. In November 1918, the central powers were finally defeated, even despite their separate peace with Soviet Russia. Now the victorious countries had to determine the future of international relations. To this end, the Paris Peace Conference was convened. She worked for exactly one year - from January 1919 to January 1920. The American president also took part in it. For several months, Woodrow Wilson's house moved from Washington to Paris.
As a result of the conference, dozens of peace treaties were signed, borders within Europe were changed, new states were created, and the League of Nations was established. Although the American president was the initiator of her appearance, the Senate refused to ratify the League of Nations agreement (at that time the majority in it belonged to opposition Republicans). Because of this, a paradoxical situation has developed - an international organization began its work without the United States. Nevertheless, it was Wilson with his “Fourteen Points” who played one of the key roles at the Paris Conference. In 1919, the Nobel Committee awarded the American President a Nobel Prize for his peacekeeping.
Theory of government
In addition to his political career, Woodrow Wilson is also known for creating a modern system of public administration in the United States. In 1887, as a professor, he laid the foundation for the theoretical development of this issue. Wilson formulated his ideas in a landmark article, “The Science of Public Administration,” published in 1887.
The future US president analyzed the problems that stand in the way of reforms in democratic countries. He noted that any serious changes in the state occur as a result of a compromise between the two forces - government and public opinion. At the same time, Woodrow Wilson emphasized: the adoption of important political decisions cannot be entrusted to a crowd that does not understand the essence of the country's political course and its national interests. Instead, the author of the new theory proposed influencing public opinion in such a way as to convince citizens of the need for certain transformations.
The professor compared the art of state power over the country with business. His message was largely prophetic. More than a hundred years after Wilson’s article appeared, capitalism has spawned huge corporations that are not inferior in their political weight to some states, and their managers can have a significant impact on society. But the matter is not only in scale. The management methods of an effective company manager and public manager really have many common features (especially in the economic component). In both cases, you need to acquire a skilled team of supporters, correctly distribute powers, monitor the budget and competitors.
The interaction of politicians and bureaucracy
An important thesis of Wilson was the idea of separation of administrative and political management - the first should lie on the shoulders of the bureaucracy, and the second should remain in the sphere of competence of the “first person”. This concept was supported by a prominent American political scientist and educator Frank Goodnau. Two theorists drew a clear line between administrators and politicians and believed that relations between them should be based on the principle of subordination. Some are required to obey others. If politicians control the bureaucrats, they will not be able to intervene in politics, but will simply do their job effectively.
Woodrow Wilson and Frank Goodnau defended the idea that such relationships ensured the development of democracy. Within their framework, political leadership and legislation set the key direction for administrators. Based on all these theses, Woodrow Wilson's theory of management first of all tried to cover topics and answer questions about what effective management and scientific management should be. It is also important that the author of the concept pushed into the background the importance of the political ideology of the state.
Death and Heritage
1919 was one of the most stressful for Wilson. He constantly moved around the world, took an active part in conferences, persuaded the Senate to ratify the agreement on joining the League of Nations. Against a background of stress and fatigue, Wilson was struck by a stroke. In October 1919, the left side of his body was paralyzed, in addition, the man was blind in one eye. In fact, from that moment on, the president became incapacitated. Until the end of his duties, most of the duties of the first person fell on the shoulders of his advisers. According to the constitution, Vice President Thomas Marshall could take the post of his boss, but he did not take this step.
In March 1921, Wilson left the White House. Republican Warren Harding became President . Woodrow Wilson's new home ended up in Washington. The former president spent the rest of his days out of politics. Because of his condition, he avoided publicity. Wilson died on February 3, 1924.
Americans keep the memory of their 28th president. In 1968, Congress founded the Woodrow Wilson International Science Center. In a special act, this institution was called a “living memorial” in memory of the president. Scientists work in the scientific center, the field of activity of which is political science - the subject in which Wilson became the author of many advanced theoretical ideas.