William Tyler
Back into Europe: War and Versailles
Summary
The United States had managed to stay out of internal European affairs from the time of its independence until 1917. However, following the costly victory in the First World War, President Woodrow Wilson dominated the Peace Conference at Versailles with the idea of the establishing of a League of Nations.
William Tyler
William Tyler has spent his entire professional life in adult education, beginning at Kingsgate College in 1969. He has lectured widely for many public bodies, including the University of Cambridge and the WEA, in addition to speaking to many clubs and societies. In 2009, William was awarded the MBE for services to adult education, and he has previously been a scholar in residence at the London Jewish Cultural Centre.
No, his wife takes power after he’s had the stroke. The story goes that if you went to the White House and say you were a politician, “I would like to see the president” and ask him whatever it might be what his policy is towards wine in California or whatever it might be. Mrs. Wilson said, “Well, the president’s very busy at the moment, and I’ll go and see if I can find an answer.” She would go out of the room, not discuss it with him, who was too ill at the beginning, after his stroke, come back about five minutes later and said, “I’ve spoken to the President.” And then she would give the answer. So the first American woman president is not actually… Won’t be quite true. And that’s another essay title.
No, I think it didn’t support Wilson’s continued involvement with the wider world, America Isolationism raised its head with Cabot Lodge and he was pretty clear that’s why he wanted nothing to do with The League of Nation. Roosevelt was also a great conservationist. Yes, that’s also true.
Answer, yes. Now, that is not saying, well, put it another way, does America behave like the defender of liberty and freedom across the world? Yes. Others would say, but it’s defining independence and freedom differently. Imperial is a difficult word to use in the 21st century because it has a lot of negative connotations, both in Britain and in America. So I would have to rephrase that, but it certainly behaves or has behaved as though it’s… It’s behaved in the terms of manifest destiny, Roosevelt Corollary, that it has a moral obligation to defend democracy and so on. Now you can have, even in America itself, or in Britain, you can oppose… Think about the campaigns against the war in Vietnam, in Britain as well as in the States.