History As It Happens3 Nov 2022

Getting Wilson Wrong

On April 2, 1917, President Woodrow Wilson asked a joint session of Congress for a declaration of war against Germany. Wilson declared, "The world must be made safe for democracy. Its peace must be planted upon the tested foundations of political liberty." In the century since, most U.S. presidents have echoed Wilson to one degree or another. And, especially in the years after the Cold War, Americans took it for granted that their nation must promote or defend democracy across the globe because, with Soviet Communism relegated to the dustbin of history, people everywhere would naturally gravitate to freedom and capitalism. Today, it has become an axiom among many public intellectuals and political figures that fundamental freedoms are on the line at home and abroad, from Ukraine to Taiwan. President Joseph R. Biden frequently frames U.S. foreign policy in terms of a global confrontation between democracy and autocracy. In this episode, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian David M. Kennedy explores the origins of the Wilsonian idea that now permeates our basic political thinking. We may be getting Wilson wrong in one important respect. Declaring that the "world must be made safe for democracy" is not the same as saying "we must make the world democratic."

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(606)

Origins of a Forever War

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. Now well into its fifth year, Russia's invasion of Ukraine appears to be a stalemate on the ground while the combatants seek a dec...

17 Jul 37min

Moby-Dick and Democracy

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. Herman Melville's masterpiece Moby-Dick has something to teach us about democracy, citizenship, and the rule of law. A flop when p...

14 Jul 45min

The Death of Lindsey Graham

This is a special episode of History As It Happens. South Carolina Senator Lindsey Graham is dead. His office says Graham died from "a brief and sudden illness" on Saturday night in Washington. He was...

12 Jul 18min

Roger Griffin, From Fascism to Trumpism

Keep the narrative flow going while supporting the show! Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. The discourse is drowning in -isms. President Trump is railing against an...

10 Jul 57min

Why Mossadegh Matters

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. When the Trump administration attacked Iran in late February, some war backers dreamt that the Iranian people would rise en masse ...

7 Jul 51min

America250! Day in the Life of a Soldier

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. This is the eighth episode in a series marking the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, America's semiquincentenn...

3 Jul 45min

Martin at the Movies: "Young Washington"

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. Enjoy this special episode of History As It Happens! On June 26, podcast host Martin Di Caro attended a screening of "Young Washin...

1 Jul 19min

The Rise and Fall of Trumpism

Subscribe now for ad-free listening, early access, and bonus content. As the president's approval ratings sink to a low ahead of the midterm elections, is the end of the Age of Trump in sight, or will...

30 Jun 56min