Wilson, (Thomas) Woodrow

Since his death, Wilson has remained a controversial figure, attracting equally fervent admirers and detractors. For a time after World War I, he was blamed by many for having plunged the country into a needless war and for opening the door to repression and reaction. During World War II, however, he came to be idolized as a prophet of peace who should have been heeded, and the United Nations was often viewed as the fulfilment of Wilson's dreams. Arguments of more recent times have focused on the practicality of his policies and the psychological motivations behind them. Throughout these posthumous oscillations in his reputation, however, no one has questioned Wilson's significance. Of the presidents since the American Civil War, only Franklin D. Roosevelt rivals him in importance in US and world history, and both at home and abroad Roosevelt in most ways took up where Wilson had left off.