Woodrow Wilson and World War I, 1917-1921

Ferrell paints a clear picture of Wilson as a struggling war time President, who badly misread the mood of the country by thinking his policy of a universal diplomatic organization (The League of Nations) would be a natural outflow of the US/ Allied victory in World War 1. It is clear that the country was ready to "retreat" to isolationism and Wilson turned rather stubborn after the victory. The immediate political result of the miscalculation was the election of Warren G. Harding to the White House in 1920 and the era of big business Conservatism in the 20's. Among the gems found in the book are descriptions of World War 1 logistics and supply, the economy and the war itself. There are also good portions of the important people of the era, such as Tom House, the political manager of Wilson's time and General John J. Pershing. For me, the most interesting part of the book was the description of how civil liberties were badly abused during the war. This is covered well in one of the later chapters. This is another book in the Harper and Row "New American Nation Series."

This excellent book is a part of The New American Nation series and I found it really a good work, tellling much I did not know or had forgotten. It leaves it plain that Wilson was far too stubborn over the League--if he had accepted reservations it would have been for the best. The book is excellent in its documentation, and has a good bibliography, and can be recommended to all interested in its fascinating subject.