Comparative Analysis of Woodrow Wilson vs. Ronald Reagan
Comparative Analysis of Woodrow Wilson vs. Ronald Reagan
Two American Presidents, both very influential in their time and both having had a great impact on history are Ronald Reagan and Woodrow Wilson. Both Presidents were advocates of peace even though they would not have hesitated to enter into a war if war was needed to insure the safety of the United States and Democracy as a whole. By use of small wars and political pressures both Reagan and Wilson, with the exception of Wilsons entering into WW-I, used diplomacy and these small conflicts to do what they thought was best and righteous to defend freedom and Democracy. But were they truly righteous individuals or did they just have their own ideas and agendas of what was best?
Woodrow Wilson: “The Ideals of America” speaks of how the United States evolved after throwing off the tyrannical yoke of English rule. He speaks of a time in which the United States was growing from what was once a colonial settlement into a nation of world power. With the United States now having a powerful presence in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines due to Wilson’s use of military force and occupations between 1913-1916 it is as if Wilson has the passion and feelings of a Crusader in the days of Chivalry. “We look back to the great men who made our government as to a generation, not of revolutionists, but of statesmen.”
Despite this Wilson was one of the first modern leaders to clearly see the threat an all out war had for civilization at the time while at the same time Wilsons excessive actions would get the United States into perilous situations that could provoke a world threatening war. Wilsons had a vision of the United States having a global role in bringing about international peace and democracy through use of small scale military force in places like the Philippines and through political alliances like the League of Nations. Wilson had envisioned the League of Nations but the United
Two American Presidents, both very influential in their time and both having had a great impact on history are Ronald Reagan and Woodrow Wilson. Both Presidents were advocates of peace even though they would not have hesitated to enter into a war if war was needed to insure the safety of the United States and Democracy as a whole. By use of small wars and political pressures both Reagan and Wilson, with the exception of Wilsons entering into WW-I, used diplomacy and these small conflicts to do what they thought was best and righteous to defend freedom and Democracy. But were they truly righteous individuals or did they just have their own ideas and agendas of what was best?
Woodrow Wilson: “The Ideals of America” speaks of how the United States evolved after throwing off the tyrannical yoke of English rule. He speaks of a time in which the United States was growing from what was once a colonial settlement into a nation of world power. With the United States now having a powerful presence in places like Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines due to Wilson’s use of military force and occupations between 1913-1916 it is as if Wilson has the passion and feelings of a Crusader in the days of Chivalry. “We look back to the great men who made our government as to a generation, not of revolutionists, but of statesmen.”
Despite this Wilson was one of the first modern leaders to clearly see the threat an all out war had for civilization at the time while at the same time Wilsons excessive actions would get the United States into perilous situations that could provoke a world threatening war. Wilsons had a vision of the United States having a global role in bringing about international peace and democracy through use of small scale military force in places like the Philippines and through political alliances like the League of Nations. Wilson had envisioned the League of Nations but the United
Cited: 1) Reagan, Ronald: Speech, “We will be a city upon a hill” 2) Hollinger, David: The American Intellectual, Volume II: 1865 to Present, Fifth Edition, Oxford University Press