August Heckscher sheds light on the life and work of Woodrow Wilson in the first biography to evaluate Wilson’s papers and letters. Woodrow Wilson–scholar, reformer, orator, warrior, and peacemaker–was a visionary whose successes place him among the great presidents, and whose failures leave questions that still haunt the late twentieth century. A vigorous, attractive leader in his time, he has come down to posterity as a grim figure, yet he brought a fresh spirit to American politics as he took our nation irrevocably into the arena of international leadership. August Heckscher shares the first biography based on the full corpus of Wilson papers and letters, covering his public and private life as well as portraying the politicians, statesmen and world leaders among whom he moved. Following his political career from his days as a college professor through his term as governor of New Jersey to his presidency, Heckscher pens an objective yet surprisingly intimate portrayal of this U.S. president.

A comprehensive account of the rise and fall of one of the major shapers of American foreign policy On the eve of his inauguration as President, Woodrow Wilson commented, “It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs.” As America was drawn into the Great War in Europe, Wilson used his scholarship, his principles, and the political savvy of his advisers to overcome his ignorance of world affairs and lead the country out of isolationism. The product of his efforts–his vision of the United States as a nation uniquely suited for moral leadership by virtue of its democratic tradition–is a view of foreign policy that is still in place today. Acclaimed historian and Pulitzer Prize finalist H. W. Brands offers a clear, well-informed, and timely account of Wilson’s unusual route to the White House, his campaign against corporate interests, his struggles with rivals at home and allies abroad, and his decline in popularity and health following the rejection by Congress of his League of Nations. Wilson emerges as a fascinating man of great oratorical power, depth of thought, and purity of intention.

Features

• Woodrow Wilson By Brands H W Schlesinger Arthur Meier EDT