Wilson by A. Scott BergMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
It is refreshing to read about probably the most intellectual president since John Quincy Adams, if not Thomas Jefferson.
A man of letters, he attended Davidson, Princeton and Johns Hopkins, became the dean of Princeton and 'modernized' it, and was also one of the most popular historians in the country.
Herbert Hoover's reputation after WWI was excellent. He convinced Americans to save and be sparing, and people would "Hooverize" gladly for the war effort. He probably should have never run for president.
Very interesting to notice the parallels with today. Americanism, Jingoism and "America First" all featured prominently in the US during this time. However, Wison was an intellectual dealing with it, so the response was very different.
Also interesting to see how he, a very intellectual and academic president, is followed by Warren Harding, one of biggest failures of a president.
Also, Henry Cabbot Lodge deserves a lot more vitriol and hate from history books. He obviously didn't cause WWII, but I'm starting to think that his dogged refusal to pass the League of Nations for purely personal political aims is what eventually led to the possibility of a second World War. But we'll see how these biographies progress. I may be wrong there.
View all my reviews
No comments:
Post a Comment