Woodrow Wilson and the Road to World War II

On this week's episode of History Reconsidered, Sumantra Maitra and Jarrett Stepman talk about the aftermath of World War I and its connection to World War II.

They talk about the view from Europe, a continent devastated by war, yet still powerful and the center of global affairs. The war had not only destroyed the lives of millions, it killed off several once-powerful empires too. In Russia, a revolution took place that would threaten civilization in the decades to come.

Perhaps more importantly, the United States found itself in a unique and new position. The country had long been one of the world's great powers, in many ways the greatest power, but had not involved itself so deeply in global affairs as it did in the Great War. What was the right path forward? How could the U.S. keep to its cherished ideals but ensure that another great war wouldn't take place? Wilson believed he had the answer.

Maitra and Stepman talk about the legacy of World War I, the worldview of Woodrow Wilson, and much more.

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