Mr. Wilson's War: From the Assassination of McKinley to the Defeat of the League of Nations

A dazzling work of American history from the author of the USAtrilogy: Beginning with the assassination of McKinley & ending with the defeat of the League of Nations by the US Senate, the 25-year period covered by Dos Passos in this lucid & fascinating narrative changed the whole destiny of America. This is the story of the war we won & the peace we lost, told with a clear historical perspective & a warm interest in the remarkable people who guided the USA thru one of the most crucial periods. Foremost in the cast of characters is Woodrow Wilson, the shy, brilliant, revered & misunderstood "schoolmaster," whose administration was a complex of apparent contradictions. Wilson had almost no interest in foreign affairs when he was first elected, yet later, in proposing the League of Nations, he was to play a major role in international politics. During his first summer in office, without any previous experience in banking, he pushed thru the Federal Reserve Bank Act, perhaps his most lasting contribution. Reelected in 1916 on the rallying cry, "He kept us out of war," he shortly found himself & his country inextricably involved in the European conflict. Dos Passos has brilliantly coordinated the political, military & economic themes so that the story line never falters. First published in 1962, Mr Wilson's Waris one of the great books.