127: Mr. Wilson Goes to Washington (Progressive Policies & Foreign Affairs in South America)

“It would be the irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign affairs.”

This is the story of the lesser-known aspects of Woodrow Wilson’s presidency–the events outside of World War I.

The Progressive Era is still in full force as Woodrow Wilson enters the White House. Amid constitutional amendments 16 and 17, Woodrow continues to carry this wave of reform with a new central banking system, income tax, and monopoly-checking regulations. He does so, however, at the expense of his state-focused presidential platform. Ironically, he’s adopting a more federal and “Theodore Roosevelt” approach.

But the true irony is the growing focus on foreign affairs. Woodrow knows little to nothing of the world beyond the United States, but with Mexico in revolution and concerns about Germany getting a foothold in the Caribbean, the self-proclaimed anti-imperialist professor finds himself relying on military interventions in South America more often than any of his predecessors. Woodrow is learning the challenges of foreign policy the hard way; he’s doing so while facing the terrible grief of his wife’s death.

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