Analyzing Wilson's Ideology Of Self-Determination

Erez Manela’s compelling study on the impact of Wilson’s ideology of self-determination on the colonial subjects during the post-World War 1 era. He illustrates roots of the rise nationalism and socialist movements in the colonized territories. He argues that Wilson did not see self-determination as idea to be used by colonized peoples and was, in his argument, exclusive to the Europeans. This was not what he anticipated through the quick spread of his new ideology through colonies that would soon grow disgruntled and interpret Wilson’s actions as abandoning their causes, which would lead to a shift from liberal nationalism into radicalism and extremism. The Wilsonian Moment is divided into four sections discussing Egypt, India, China, and Korea.
Manela describes each of these countries struggles towards self-determination in how they had reached out to Wilson yet did not receive his support. He describes the failure of the nationalist leaders in Egypt, India, and China who had witnessed Wilson support the European colonizers instead of the nationalist who were seeking ‘self-determination. ‘As such he examines each region to see the progress towards more radical approaches to independence as a result of Wilson’s decisions and also contributed to the subsequent failure of the League of Nations. He does so by using primary sources derived from the countries being discussed as evidence for the reactions and perspectives of the natives at the time. Manela uses evidence collected from the political groups and revolutionaries who had used the rhetoric found the US declaration of independence in order to further their nationalist goals to become independent form their