TheConnecticutYankeeintheCourtofKingAtthur 169WilsonianismbenefitsAmericanforeignpolicyinanotherimportant
way.Sincemostgreatpowershaveguidingideologies,itisa goodthing
thatWilsonianismisparticularlywell-suitedforwinningfriendsand
influencingpeopleabroad.
TobeginwithWilsonianismis a universal,nota particular,ideal.
Thatis, no races, individuals,countries,or culturesareinprinciple
excludedfromtheWilsonianvisionofa worldofpeacefuldemocracies
treatingoneanotherwithrespect.
Thiscounts.IntheBritishEmpireforeignerswerealwaysseenas
inferior,andthedarkerandlessBritish-actingtheywere,themoreinfe-
rior.WhenforeignpeopleswerebroughtintotheBritishEmpire,itwas
assubjectpeoples.Thiswasatimebomb;Indians,amongothers,either
hadtoabandontheirself-respectorfightfortheirfreedom.
IntheAmericanhegemony,bycontrast,allnationsandallpeoples
areassumedtobe,oratleastcapableofbecoming,equal.Notthatall
Wilsonianshavesubscribedtotheequalityofraces.BurunlikeBritish
imperialideology,Wilsonianismhasprovedcapableofevolving,andhas
generallybeena forcefortherecognitionofequalitybothwithinand
beyondtheUnitedStates.InternationallawasimaginedbyWilsonians
willprotectpoorandweakcountriesaswellastherichandthestrong.A
fullyWilsoniansystemwouldreplacemightwithrightinthejudgment
seatofnations.Thisisanintoxicatingvision,towhichEcuadoriansand
EthiopianscansubscribeaswellasAmericans,anditis a greatadvantage
fortheUnitedStates.
Wilsonian universalismalsoextends toclasses. Everyone, rich or
poor,iswelcometotheshelteroftheWilsonianrevival tent.Notall
ideologicalmovementshavebeensobroadminded.Besidesthelamenta-
bleeconomicstrategiesandtyrannicalgovernmentstructuresthatbol-
shevismbuilt, and thathobbled its struggle for worlddomination,
bolshevismwasalsoatwarwiththemostpowerfulandarticulateele-
mentsininternationalsociety:therulingbourgeoisclassofthecapitalist
countriesandthepettybourgeoiswhodominateintellectual,journalis-
tic,andculturallife.Whilebolshevismclaimedindividualconvertsfrom
bothclasses,societieshadtoundergowrenchingrevolutionsandcom-
pleteeconomicandsocialchangetojointhebolshevikcamp.Thedeep-
estreligiousfeelingsofthecommonpeoplehadtobeopposed;thebasic
interestsoftheeliteshadtobepowerfullyrootedout.
Wilsonianismdoesn'thavetoworkthathardtoconquer.Emperors
andkingscanhangontotheirthronesiftheywillsharetheirpower.