
The 28th President of the United States who led the nation through World War I and championed the League of Nations, laying the groundwork for modern international cooperation.
Tổng thống thứ 28 của Hoa Kỳ, người đã lãnh đạo đất nước trong Thế chiến thứ nhất và ủng hộ Hội Quốc Liên, đặt nền móng cho hợp tác quốc tế hiện đại.
This biography of Woodrow Wilson helps you learn English through real historical stories. Explore Woodrow Wilson's impact on the world.
Thomas Woodrow Wilson, born in 1856 in Virginia, was a leading intellectual of the Progressive Era who served as the president of Princeton University before entering politics. Elected as the 28th President of the United States in 1912, he initially focused on major domestic reforms, including the creation of the Federal Reserve. However, his presidency would ultimately be defined by the devastating outbreak of World War I in Europe, a conflict he initially tried to keep America out of with a policy of strict neutrality.
As unrestricted submarine warfare by Germany threatened American lives and interests, Wilson reluctantly asked Congress to declare war in 1917, famously stating that "the world must be made safe for democracy." To shape the postwar peace, he authored the "Fourteen Points," a visionary blueprint that advocated for free trade, open agreements, self-determination for marginalized nations, and, most importantly, the creation of a general association of nations to mediate international disputes and prevent future global conflicts.
This proposed association became the League of Nations, the direct precursor to the United Nations. Although Wilson's tireless advocacy earned him the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize, he faced fierce political opposition back home. The US Senate ultimately refused to ratify the Treaty of Versailles or join the League, a devastating political defeat that was compounded by a severe stroke that left him partially paralyzed. Despite this tragic end to his presidency, Wilson's idealistic vision of a cooperative international order profoundly reshaped modern global diplomacy.