The Tragedy of Woodrow Wilson

Paper Summary:

This paper draws a psychological profile of President Woodrow Wilson and then uses the profile to explain why Wilson was ultimately responsible for the failure of the League of Nations even though he was also the League's greatest champion. The paper suggests that Wilson's belief in his God-like infallibility made it impossible for him to see the flaws in the League of Nations and prevented him from listening to the legitimate reservations about the League expressed by Senator Henry Cabot Lodge. The paper concludes that the Covenant of the League of Nations was not ratified because of Woodrow Wilson's inflexible stand on what he considered the greatest document in human history.

From the Paper:

"As Woodrow Wilson sailed home from Europe aboard the George Washington steamship, he held in his hands the Treaty of Versailles, and, attached to it, the Covenant of the League of Nations. His vision was a simple one: nations united, people from across the globe brought together under a banner of peace and goodwill. His League of Nations would ensure a lasting peace for generations to come and prevent the atrocities of World War I from ever occurring again. His motives seemed to be altruistic. The nations of Europe had supported Wilson and his idea. But why did the United States, Wilson's own country, refuse to join? The answer lies in its creator. Woodrow Wilson was responsible for failure of the United States to join the League of Nations."

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