Woodrow Wilson, an American politician, defeated Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and Eugene V. Debs in the election of 1912. During the campaign, Wilson did not explicitly identify his stance on foreign policy, primarily because he had not thought about this issue. In office, Wilson’s stance on foreign policy becomes clearer as he reversed Taft’s dollar diplomacy. This act appeared as if Wilson was against imperialist ideologies; however, in his presidency, he identified American values as superior and strongly advocated for democracy. Shortly after Wilson took office, World War I broke out in Europe, but the U.S. was already involved in Latin American affairs; therefore, the U.S. declared neutrality in order to focus solely on Mexican affairs in order to protect American investors in Mexico. Wilson’s belief in American “exceptionalism” led him to declare neutrality and then enter the war. Prior to entering the war, Wilson’s administration policies favored Great Britain over Germany and so, the U.S. declared …show more content…
In Wilson’s address, he used the rhetoric of patriotism to advocate remaining out of the war. He stated, “My thought is of America…this great country of ours, which is, of course, the first in our thoughts and hearts.” Wilson believed that Americans should not meddle in European affairs, especially since they did not impact Americans. Contrary to Wilson, America and Europe were economically tied to each other because the United States exchanged raw goods, finished products, and currency with countries all over the globe. This intricate relationship between politics and economics contributed to Wilson’s foreign policies toward Great Britain and Germany. Wilson favored Great Britain because the U.S. shared a social, economic, political, and cultural history with Britain, whereas the U.S. and Germany relations centered on immigration and