314 SPECIALPROVIDENCEthepromulgation ofthe MonroeDoctrinein 1823,and theperiod
betweenWorldWarI andthe 1947 promulgationoftheTrumanDoc-
trine.BothwereperiodswhengreatContinentalpowerschallengedthe
British-basedmaritimeworldorder,andbothwereerasinwhichAmeri-
canswerebasicallydividedovertheirattitudestowardbothBritainitself
andthelargerorderithadbuilt.
Inthesesituations,Americanforeignpolicywassubjecttomanyof
theillsthatitscriticsdescribe. Foreignpolicydoesn'tgoawayinthe
absenceofa strategicconsensus;itproliferates.TheUnitedStateshas
policiesfromeachofthefourschools,butnostrategy.Lobbies,some-
times unrelatedtoany ofthemajorschools, alsoseize hold. Ethnic
lobbiesentrenchthemselvesincertainniches;armslobbiestakehold
elsewhere;variousgovernmentbureaucraciesandprivateintereststake
controloverdecisionsthatdirectlyaffect theirkey interests.Various
executivedepartmentsandbothhousesofCongressfreelance,developing
pointsofviewoftheirown.
Perhapsthemoststrikingexampleofgridlockandpolicyprolifera-
tioncameintheinterwaryears, 19 19-4I,anunhappyperiodinthehis-
toryofAmericanforeignpolicythatunfortunatelylooksincreasingly
similartoourown.ThenasnowtheperiodofdriftbeganwhenHamil-
toniansandWilsonianssawtheendofa greatworldconflictasa timefor
greatly expanded American activity abroad, whileJeffersonians and
Jacksoniansbelievedthat,withthedangerended,theUnitedStates
shouldpullinitshorns.
Thenasnowa globalistcoalitionofHamiltoniansandWilsoniansfell
outamongthemselves.TheissuethenwastheTreatyofVersailles.With
HamiltoniansandWilsoniansunableorunwillingtocompromise,the
SenaterejectedtheTreatyofVersailles,andtheUnitedStatesfailedto
jointheLeagueofNations.
Nothing,however,wassettled.Afterthefightovertheratificationof
thetreaty,eachofthefourschoolswentoffonitsown,enactinglawsand
conductingpoliciesthatfurtheredsometimesincompatiblegoals.Poli-
ticiansdidwhattheycouldtokeepallthestrongcurrentsofpolitical
feelingashappyaspossible;everybodygotsomething,butAmerican
foreignpolicyasa wholewasdistractedandunfocused.
Thefourschoolskeptbusyintheinterwaryears,buttheyaccom-
plishedverylittleofrealvalue.Witharch-HamiltonianAndrewMellon
safelyensconcedintheTreasuryDepartment,andwithHamilton'sdream
ofa nationalbankrevivedintheformoftheFederalReservesystem,