Also in The Great Influenza, Barry postulates that Wilson suddenly dropped many of his requirements during the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 partially as a result of a bout of flu he suffered during the Conference. He cites some evidence that the flu physically affected its victims' brains, with a loss of cognition as a result. I don't know enough about what Wilson did there to count this as an "Aha!" moment, but it's certainly food for thought. Wilson did have a stroke several months later; Barry suggests that the stroke may have been partially due to the flu. It's an interesting idea; any World War I scholars want to take this on?
Posted by Linkmeister at November 19, 2005 07:35 PM | TrackBackI'm no expert, but I think that he dropped most everything else in order to get his idea of a League of Nations incorporated into the treaty.
Plus, remember, he was the first President to go to Europe, and we weren't the superpower we are today. England and France, besides being the ones most torn up by war and wanting revenge, had a couple hundred years of feeling superior to and ignoring America under their belt.
Posted by: Solonor at November 20, 2005 03:48 AM