In Wilsonianism , American foreign relations specialist Lloyd E. Ambrosius has compiled his published and unpublished essays on Woodrow Wilson's liberal ideology and statecraft during and after World War I. Although the president failed in his pursuit of a new world order, his legacy of Wilsonianism - the principles of national self-determination, economic globalization, collective security, and progressive historicism - continued to shape U.S. foreign relations throughout the American Century. Ambrosius examines the American roots of Wilson's liberal internationalism, the dilemmas and contradictions in his principles, and the problematic consequences of U.S. efforts to implement Wilsonian ideals without fully appreciating the world's cultural pluralism as well as its economic and political interdependence. Offering a pluralist variant of the realist tradition in international relations, Ambrosius stresses the centrality of power; but maintains that culture and political economy as well as military strength determine the balance of power within and among nations or empires. Consequently, he concludes, making the world safe for democracy has been more problematic in practice, both at home and abroad, than proclaiming Wilsonian principles in the abstract.

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'...this work shows the author at his most perceptive and, at times, brilliant...highly recommended.' - J.D. Doenecke, Choice

'...an impressively researched, closely reasoned and cogently argued set of essays.' - Joseph A. Fry, International History Review

About the author

LLOYD E. AMBROSIUS is professor of history at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. A specialist in the history of American foreign relations, he is the author of 2 books and over 20 articles on Woodrow Wilson.

Bibliographic Information

Book Title: Wilsonianism
Book Subtitle: Woodrow Wilson and His Legacy in American Foreign Relations
Authors: Lloyd E. Ambrosius
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403970046
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan New York
eBook Packages: Palgrave History Collection, History (R0)
Copyright Information: Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Nature America Inc. 2002
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4039-6008-5Published: 14 October 2002
Softcover ISBN: 978-1-4039-6009-2Published: 14 October 2002
eBook ISBN: 978-1-4039-7004-6Published: 14 October 2002
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: VIII, 233
Topics: Political History, International Political Economy, European Politics, Political Theory, Political Philosophy, US History

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

Front Matter

Introduction

History and Ideology

Front Matter

Collective Security and the German Problem

Front Matter

National Self-Determination and Ethnic Politics

Front Matter

Historiography and Wilsonian Statecraft

Front Matter

Back Matter

About this book

Keywords

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About the author

Bibliographic Information

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