Introduction:
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th American president, born on 28 December 1856 in Virginia, United States, and died on 3rd February 1924. He was elected president of the United States twice. His tenure lasted from 4 March 1913 to 4 March 1921, and he was a member of the Democratic Party. His nickname was “schoolmaster in politics.” He was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1919 due to his struggle to maintain peace. His Fourteen Points played a vital role in the establishment of the League of Nations. He earned a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University. Woodrow Wilson is the only American president in the history of the United States who has a doctorate in political science (Wilson, 1993).
He started his political career in 1910 when he was nominated as governor of New Jersey. Due to his ambitious and successful agenda, he earned national recognition, and in 1912, he won the Democratic nomination for president. He won 435 electoral votes out of 531, and Democrats held the majority in both houses of Congress. He was the American president during the First World War. He was a great supporter of idealism. He gave the idea of an international organization that could prevent war. His 14 points gave the basic structure of the League of Nations, which was the first-ever international organization.
Economic Reforms
During his presidency, he focused more on economic development, for which he enacted three central pieces of legislation. The first was the low-tariff Underwood Act, and in 1914, antitrust legislation established a federal trade commission to minimize unfair practices.
Woodrow Wilson made a significant contribution to child labor reform; during his presidency, Congress passed many bills against child labor (Keynes, 2017).
Pro-Farmer Measure
During Woodrow Wilson’s presidency, another important measure was a pro-farmer policy. He played a vital role in giving farmers their rights, and this played an important role in the economic growth of the United States (Wilson, 2017).
The Idea of an Eight-Hour Maximum Workday
Another essential contribution in the field of economics was that he introduced the concept of an eight-hour workday, an indispensable contribution to labor reforms.
During World War One
When the world war broke out in Europe in 1914, he declared that the United States would remain neutral and would not take either the Axis or Allied side. He won the second presidential election with the slogan “he kept us out of a war,” but after the election, he concluded that the US could not remain neutral in the First World War. On 2nd April 1917, he passed a declaration of war on Germany (Schattschneider, 2017).
League of Nations and Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson was a strong supporter of idealism. He gave the idea of an international forum where nations could solve their problems through peaceful means. In 1918, Wilson went to Congress and presented his famous Fourteen Points, on which the League of Nations was established, the last of which would establish “A general association guarantees the political independence and territorial integrity of all states, whether weak or strong.”
After Germany signed this document in 1918, Woodrow Wilson went to Paris to try to ensure peace. Later, he presented the covenant of the League of Nations in Congress by seven votes, but the Treaty of Versailles failed in the Senate.
Woodrow Wilson made a huge contribution to maintaining peace around the world. The current international organization, the United Nations (UN), is the successor organization to the League of Nations. The UN plays an important role in preventing a third world war. He was a strong supporter of work and opposed racism; in his cabinet, many members belonged to the South.
Woodrow Wilson and Racism
Woodrow Wilson was a great supporter of equality and did not believe in racism. He believed that men and women, blacks and whites, were equal, and he gave equal opportunities to blacks during his presidential tenure. Wilson was one of the great supporters of equal opportunities for all without any discrimination by race (Cooper, 2018).
Women’s Suffrage and Woodrow Wilson:
Woodrow Wilson was a great supporter of women’s suffrage. From 1917 to 1919, the movement for women’s suffrage was at its peak. The 19th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guaranteed American women the right to vote. It is one of Wilson’s huge contributions to women’s rights. Wilson was a great supporter of women’s rights. He gave equal participation to women in all fields of life (Wilson, 1956).
Woodrow Wilson’s Contribution to Politics or International Relations
Woodrow Wilson made a major contribution in the field of international relations or politics. He built another school of thought in international relations. He gave a new life to the liberal school of thought in international relations. This school plays an important role in preventing war and maintaining peace in the world. Due to the liberal school of thought, in 1919, international relations emerged as a separate discipline in social science. This new field helps us study international relations and world politics in a real sense.
Conclusion
American president Woodrow Wilson made a huge contribution to American politics as well as world politics, and he was a great supporter of ideas. Wilson made a major contribution during World War I; he played an important role in building the first international organization.
References
Cooper Jr, J. M. (2018). Woodrow Wilson, the Great War, and the Fourth Estate.
Schattschneider, E. (2017). Party government: American government in action. Routledge.
Keynes, J. M. (2017). The economic consequences of the peace. Routledge.
Wilson, W. (1956). Congressional government: A study in American politics (Vol. 27). Woodrow Wilson.
Wilson, W. (2017). Constitutional government in the United States. Routledge.
Wilson, W. (2017). Congressional government: A study in American politics. Routledge.
Wilson, W. (1993). The study of administration. Discipline and history: political science in the United States, 33.
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