Arthur S. Link (1920–1998)

1578 Wilson: Confusions and Crises 1915-1916, by Arthur S. Link (read 9 July 1980) This is the fourth volume of Link's study. It is really good. It has a chapter on Wilson's marriage in 1915, and then covers the crises with Germany and Mexico up to July 1916. I found it absorbing. I again confess that our attitude vis a vis Germany seems hyper-technical. If I had been a knowing perceiver of the time, I feel sure my attitude would have been similar to what I presume LaFollette's and Norris's show more was. I mean I am very much for the Allies now, so I don't mind what Lansing and Wilson did, but the case against Germany doesn't seem all that strong. In a nutshell, it seems so simple to say: Americans traveling in the war zone on warring powers' ships do so at their own risk, period. All the crises up to July 1916 came from the sinking of British and French ships! show less

1579 Wilson Campaigns for Progressivism and Peace 1916-1917, by Arthur S. Link (read 13 July 1980) This fifth volume of Link's biography is just intriguing and I really enjoyed it. The dire straits the Allies were in financially, and the great empathy I have for them, made me welcome the American entry into the war, but I cannot help but feel that the actions of the Germans were not the horrendous things one feels justify war. But this view is no doubt conditioned by my living through the show more years from 1939 through 1941. I really do appreciate World War One--it is undoubtedly the war most intriguing to me. The closing pages of this volume (which apparently is the last volume in the series which has been published) are keenly dramatic, as they tell of the entry of the U.S. into the war. The last paragraph: "'For all time,' Frank Cobb wrote, 'April 6 will remain a mighty day in the annals of the United States, a day on which was consummated the most far-reaching policy to which democracy has ever consecrated itself. The old isolation is finished. We are no longer aloof from Europe, we are no longer aloof from the rest of the world. For weal or woe, whatever happens now concerns us, and from none of it can be withheld the force of our influence." A magnificent volume--I wish there were more. show less

Great explanation of the progressive era, not so much about Woodrow Wilson. Good look at the US right before our entrance into WWI.

Arthur Link's history presents a somewhat satisfying explanation for America's entry into WWI using a "traditional" methodology. By studying the foreign policy of the Wilson administration within the context of its domestic policy, Arthur Link explains why official America was so hesitant to embark on a war in Europe. The Progressive movement, which Link demonstrates often moved ahead of the president, stood for social reform at home but was divided between Theodore Roosevelt's Republican show more Progressives and Wilson's Democratic wing. Electing a Democratic Progressive candidate in 1912 and 1916, the American populace expected domestic reform and in the latter case abstention from Europe's conflicts.

Link concentrates on periodical literature to glean the texture of popular sentiment. For official policy, he makes extensive use of source materials but does not refer extensively to the opinions of other historians. The former tends to neglect the intellectual and cultural context of popular sentiment, the later has the weakness of glossing over interpretive controversies. Concentrating on Woodrow Wilson and his circle of advisors presents a limited view of American entry into the war, but these are the most significant figures in the long run. Despite recent criticism, the history of high politics is still the stuff of American foreign policy and diplomacy. A traditional approach to the history of America's response to the Mexican Revolution and entry into WWI still has much to offer. show less