Isabella Carter
Moral diplomacy, coined by the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, was a foreign policy approach that promoted American values and principles, particularly democracy and self-determination, in international relations. It was a stark departure from the interventionist policies of his predecessors, instead emphasizing diplomacy based on ethical considerations, respect for human rights, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. Wilson's moral diplomacy was a response to the question of how the United States should approach foreign affairs, with the belief that the country had a moral obligation to lead by example and promote democracy worldwide.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Promoting democracy | Freedom |
| Supporting democratic reform | Democracy |
| Emphasizing human rights | Moral righteousness |
| Ensuring peace | Ethical principles |
| Leading by example | Self-determination |
| Spreading liberty | Non-intervention |
| Intervention in Latin America | Transparency |
| Shifting from isolationism to internationalism | Free trade |
| Supporting democratic ideals | Disarmament |
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What You'll Learn
Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points
- Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, with no secret agreements.
- Absolute freedom of the seas.
- Removal of economic barriers between nations.
- Reduction of armaments.
- Adjustment of colonial claims, respecting native populations.
- Evacuation of Russian territory and "unselfish" treatment of Russia's new government.
- Restoration of Belgian independence.
- Evacuation and "liberated" treatment of French territory.
- Re-drawing of Italian borders along "clearly recognizable lines of nationality".
- Autonomy for the peoples of Austria-Hungary.
- Evacuation of Romanian, Serbian and Montenegrin territory and the establishment of "stable" governments.
- Turkish occupation of Constantinople to end, with the Dardanelles open to all ships.
- An independent Poland with access to the sea.
- A "general association of nations" to guarantee "political independence and territorial integrity" to all nations, large and small.
The Fourteen Points were designed as guidelines for the rebuilding of the postwar world, with a focus on freedom, democracy, and self-determination. They marked a shift in US foreign policy, away from isolationism and towards internationalism, and laid the groundwork for the United States to become a global actor in international affairs. Wilson's idealism pervaded the Fourteen Points, but he also had practical objectives, such as keeping Russia in the war and undermining German war support.
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American exceptionalism
Woodrow Wilson's "moral diplomacy" was a foreign policy approach deeply rooted in the concept of American exceptionalism. It reflected the belief that the United States had a specific world mission and a moral obligation to spread its democratic ideals and moral principles in international relations. This notion of American exceptionalism, which suggests that the United States is inherently different from and superior to other nations, has had a profound impact on Wilson's foreign policy decisions.
Wilson's interpretation of American exceptionalism guided his foreign policy actions, leading him to actively promote democracy and freedom as universal values. He believed that the United States had a duty to spread democratic systems and uphold moral righteousness in international affairs. This shift from isolationism to internationalism was a significant departure from the more traditional, interventionist policies of his predecessors. Wilson's moral diplomacy emphasized diplomacy based on ethical considerations, respect for human rights, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations.
However, it is important to note that Wilson's application of American exceptionalism through moral diplomacy faced challenges and contradictions. While he advocated for self-determination and non-intervention, his administration intervened in Latin America and supported democratic reform movements. This interventionism, particularly in countries like Mexico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, was driven by a mix of moral intentions and the protection of American economic interests. Despite these complexities and limitations, Wilson's moral diplomacy had a lasting impact on American foreign policy, influencing future diplomatic strategies and contributing to the United States' self-image as a global promoter of democracy.
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Latin America interventions
Woodrow Wilson's moral diplomacy was a new type of statesmanship that centred US foreign relations around the concept of morality, specifically the values of democracy and national self-determination. Wilson's moral diplomacy was based on economic power, in contrast to the dollar diplomacy of his predecessor, William Howard Taft, which highlighted the importance of economic support to improve bilateral ties between nations.
Wilson frequently intervened in the affairs of Latin American countries, saying in 1913: "I am going to teach the South American republics to elect good men". He believed that the US had a duty to spread democracy and used aggressive moral diplomacy to ensure this objective. Wilson's Latin America interventions included Mexico in 1914, Haiti from 1915–1934, the Dominican Republic in 1916, Cuba in 1917, and Panama in 1918.
In Mexico, Wilson refused to recognise Victoriano Huerta, who had illegally seized power in 1913, despite most Americans and many foreign powers supporting him due to his open policies toward foreign investment. In 1915, Wilson responded to chronic revolution in Haiti by sending in American marines to restore order and support their Haitian leader of choice while covertly obtaining financial and administrative control of the island. He did the same in the Dominican Republic in 1916, citing political and fiscal unrest as a reason for his intervention. The military occupations that followed failed to create the democratic states that were their stated objective.
Wilson also maintained troops in Nicaragua throughout his administration and used them to select the president of Nicaragua. In 1916, he practised an old-fashioned form of imperialism by buying the Virgin Islands from Denmark for $25 million. In 1917, he sent several thousand US soldiers into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa, who had provoked a confrontation between the Americans and the Carranza government.
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World War I neutrality
When World War I broke out in Europe in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson formally proclaimed the neutrality of the United States, a position that was favoured by the vast majority of Americans. Wilson stated that America must be "impartial in thought as well as in action" and hoped to maintain this stance throughout the conflict. However, this neutrality was soon compromised by Germany's actions, particularly its attempted quarantine of the British Isles, which included the sinking of several U.S. ships travelling to Britain.
Despite officially remaining neutral, American organisations and individuals actively supported the war effort through fundraising, aid efforts, and volunteerism. For example, the Commission for the Relief of Belgium (CRB) was founded by an American-led group to address the food crisis in Belgium, which was occupied by Germany and blockaded by Britain. The CRB, headed by future U.S. president Herbert Hoover, raised funds, collected food supplies, chartered cargo ships, and organised distribution efforts. Additionally, the American Ambulance Field Service (later the American Field Service, or AFS) provided ambulances and volunteer drivers to help save the lives of thousands of wounded French soldiers. Many young American men, particularly those of ethnic German descent, were eager to join the fight, and over a hundred thousand Americans volunteered for the international war effort.
Public opinion in the U.S. began to shift away from neutrality following Germany's sinking of the Lusitania in May 1915, which resulted in the deaths of nearly 1,200 passengers, including 128 Americans. This incident caused a strong reaction in the U.S., leading Germany to temporarily halt its submarine attacks on passenger and merchant ships in the Atlantic. However, Germany's violation of Belgium's neutrality and its policy of unrestricted submarine warfare further tilted U.S. public opinion towards the Allies. Allied propaganda exaggerated German brutality, but there were reports of German troops burning down the medieval library at Louvain and shooting Belgian civilians and Allied sympathisers, including the British nurse Edith Cavell.
In late March 1917, Germany sank four more U.S. merchant ships, prompting President Wilson to call for a declaration of war against Germany on April 2. On April 4, the Senate voted overwhelmingly to declare war, and two days later, the House of Representatives endorsed the declaration. America's entry into World War I marked a significant turning point in the conflict, as its well-supplied forces joined the battlefields of Western Europe. By the time the war ended on November 11, 1918, over 2 million American soldiers had served, with approximately 50,000 losing their lives.
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Human rights and justice
Woodrow Wilson's "moral diplomacy" was a foreign policy approach that emphasised the protection of human rights and the application of moral principles in international relations. Wilson's diplomacy was rooted in his belief that the United States had a moral obligation to lead by example and promote democracy worldwide. This belief stemmed from the concept of American exceptionalism, which holds that the United States has a unique world mission to spread liberty and democracy.
Wilson's moral diplomacy sought to align US foreign policy with ethical standards, rejecting practices that were deemed exploitative or unjust. He emphasised diplomacy based on ethical considerations, respect for human rights, and non-interference in the internal affairs of other nations. Wilson argued that democracy and freedom were universal values that the US should support and foster. He advocated for the self-determination of peoples, calling for the redrawing of national boundaries based on this principle.
In practice, Wilson's moral diplomacy had a mixed legacy. While it introduced the idea that US foreign policy should be guided by ethical principles and the promotion of democracy, it also faced numerous challenges and contradictions. Wilson frequently intervened in the affairs of other countries, particularly in Latin America, where he opposed oppressive regimes and supported movements for democratic reform. However, his administration also intervened militarily in several countries, such as Mexico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, when US interests were perceived to be at risk or to stabilise the region.
Despite the contradictions and failures in its implementation, Wilson's moral diplomacy had a lasting impact on American foreign policy. It contributed to the US's self-image as a global promoter of democratic values and influenced future American diplomatic strategies and international relations. Wilson's vision for a new international order based on transparency, free trade, disarmament, and self-determination laid the groundwork for democratic nations to create international political conglomerates to work towards common goals.
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Frequently asked questions
Moral Diplomacy is a foreign policy approach coined by US President Woodrow Wilson, which sought to promote American values and principles, particularly democracy, freedom, and self-determination, in international relations.
Wilson believed that the US had a moral obligation to lead by example and promote democracy worldwide. He argued that democracy and freedom were universal values that the US should support and foster.
Wilson's predecessors, such as Theodore Roosevelt and William Howard Taft, upheld a strictly nationalist foreign policy, seeking to expand the American Empire. In contrast, Wilson's Moral Diplomacy shifted the focus of US foreign relations to moral values, specifically democracy and national self-determination, rather than pure economic or imperialist interests.
Initially, Wilson maintained neutrality, but as the war progressed, he shifted towards supporting the Allies, framing the US entry into the war in 1917 as a moral crusade to make the world "safe for democracy". Wilson's vision for post-war peace was outlined in his Fourteen Points, which included the proposal for the League of Nations to ensure peace and cooperation among nations.
Wilson's Moral Diplomacy had a mixed legacy. It introduced the idea that US foreign policy should be guided by ethical principles and the promotion of democracy, influencing future American diplomacy and contributing to the US's self-image as a global promoter of democratic values. However, it also faced significant criticism due to contradictions and failures in its implementation, particularly regarding interventions in Latin America and the inability to fully realize the ideals of self-determination and non-intervention.
