83Woodrow Wilson remains a controversial wartime leader. Nearly
a century after the First World War, his performance still divides, even
polarizes, historians. Some praise him for his clarity of purpose and
vision while others dismiss him as a “misfi t in offi ce.” Much of the
debate surrounds his character—self-confi dent to the point of arrogance
(French Premier George Clemenceau suspected Wilson fancied himself
the new Messiah), intolerant of dissent, driven by self-righteous
convictions.
Viewed through my perspective, his personal attributes matter only
insofar as they infl uenced his ability to accomplish the tasks that face
every wartime president. An analysis of Wilson as a wartime president
needs to go beyond his character to consider the other factors that
shaped his eff ectiveness—the role of other political actors at home and
abroad, the relationship between president and Congress, his adminis-
tration’s eff orts to mobilize public opinion in the United States and
overseas, and more.
As a wartime commander in chief, Wilson represents a mix of both
impressive success and epic failure. From the outbreak of war in
Europe in August 1914 to the point at which America entered the
confl ict in 1917, Wilson sought to secure American interests, broker a
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Waging War to Transform the World
Woodrow Wilson