Artists of Power

Compares two of America's greatest statesmen, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, and assesses their enduring influence on U.S. foreign policy.

Roosevelt and Wilson were remarkable statesmen, early 20th century artists of power, whose diplomacy had an enduring impact on US foreign policy. This book covers Roosevelt's strategic thinking and examines Wilson's interaction with his policy advisors. It shows how they made the US a world power and the architect of 20th century world order.

Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were remarkable statesmen, early twentieth century artists of power whose diplomacy has had an enduring impact on U.S. foreign policy. These two leaders were creative, farsighted diplomatists who confronted serious international challenges during their presidencies, and who conceived and implemented policies designed both to resolve immediate problems and to set the United States on the best possible course for the future. Crafted by prominent historians, the eight chapters of this volume implicitly and explicitly urge students of history to recognize that both Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson were intelligent, insightful, forward-looking statesmen, and that since World War II the influence of their ideas and approaches on U.S. diplomacy has been ongoing and significant.

Chapters 1 through 3 cover Theodore Roosevelt's strategic thinking, personal diplomatic style, and his relationship with Britain. Chapters 4 through 6 examine Woodrow Wilson's interaction with his senior foreign policy advisors, and analyze his decision-making leading up to the U.S.'s entry into World War I. Two concluding chapters, 7 and 8, show how the two men made the United States both a world power and the architect of twentieth century world order. With an introduction by Charles E. Neu and Afterword by William Tilchin.