The World at War

All his life, Woodrow Wilson was proud of the gallant fight the South had made. At the same time, he was glad the North had won and kept the Union undivided. Wilson had been in office less than two years when World War I began in Europe. It was his great hope that the United States could stay out. He tried to find ways to help the warring countries make peace. Keeping the U.S. out of the war has helped him win re-election, but soon the German submarines began to sink American ships in the Atlantic Ocean without warning. Many lives were lost, and Wilson finally asked Congress to declare war against Germany.

Even when the fighting was going on, he drew up his Fourteen Points peace plan. The most important point called for a League of Nations. This would be an impartial organization that would represent every country. In November 1918 Germany surrendered and the fighting in Europe stopped. The League of Nations was soon formed, but the United States couldn't join unless the U.S. Senate approved. Some senators didn't want the United States to join at all. Many others wanted to join, but only if certain changes were made in the league plan. If Wilson had agreed to the changes, the Senate would have passed the bill. But Wilson refused to make any compromise. Instead, he started on a trip around the country making speeches in favor of the league. Then he suddenly became too sick to go on. Without his leadership, the Senate voted against joining the League of Nations. Without the United States, the league was of little value.

After his term in office was over, he took no more part in politics. Others would continue to fight for his ideals and the hope of a world without war.

The American people were weary of wartime problems and shortages. They blamed Europe for the war, and they wanted nothing more to do with it. Warren Harding promised a "return to normalcy" and won the election. As President, he wanted to do something for world peace. Unfortunately, not all the men he appointed were either honest or capable. No one can be sure how much Harding knew about what his friends were doing. He must have had some idea, but he did nothing about it.

In August 1923, he suddenly became ill and died a few days later. The exact truth was never known, but now it seems probable that he died of a heart attack.

Calvin Coolidge first drew national attention when he was the governor of Massachusetts. In 1919, the police in Boston went on strike. Coolidge promptly called out the entire National Guard and broke the strike. "There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, at any time," he said. Largely because of this action, he was nominated by the Republicans for Vice President in 1920 with President Harding. The scandals of the Harding administration were not yet public. When they did become known, they didn't bother Coolidge. Even the Democrats never suspected Coolidge of being dishonest. As President, he made people feel safe. He never gambled a nickel and never spent a nickel that he didn't have to. "When things are going all right," he said, "it is a good plan to let them alone." According to him, the business of America was business, and the business of government was to keep out of business.

People were gambling on the stock market, and stocks, prices, and wages were going up. Around the country, a few people had been saying that unless something was done to slow down the economic boom, it was sure to break and bring on a depression. Coolidge did not believe them and took no action. A few months later the boom did break. The country was plunged into the most terrible depression of its history. Millions of people lost their jobs, their homes, and their life savings. Many committed suicide because they were ruined financially. Coolidge didn't understand. He kept thinking times ought to get better, but instead they got worse.

When the German army captured Belgium, many of the Belgian people were without food. Herbert Hoover helped bring food from the United States and get it through the German lines. His work saved millions of people from starving. When America entered the war, President Wilson appointed him the food administrator. His job was to get the American people to save food so it could be sent to the Allies and soldiers in Europe. Hoover had no real power to enforce his rules, but he got people to save food anyway.

In 1928, the Republicans nominated Hoover for President. He had never run for any political office, but most Americans knew and honored the work he had done. He was elected by a huge majority. Then in 1929 the stock market crashed and the Great Depression began. Businesses that had borrowed too much money failed, and people were out of work. Hoover was slow to act. It hurt him to see people hungry, but he felt the government shouldn't interfere with business.

Nobody truly understood what caused the Depression, but because people wanted to blame someone other than themselves, they blamed Hoover. Finally, Hoover established an organization to lend money to businesses in need. He also started some programs to give people jobs. These helped, but they didn't end the Depression. In the election of 1932 he was overwhelmingly defeated. Gradually, people understood that no one person was to blame. Then in 1940 the Soviet Union and Finland were at war. Hoover raised great stocks of food to help feed the Finns. After World War II he was named by President Truman to head the Famine Emergency Commission. This sent food to people in countries destroyed by war. Once more Hoover's work helped save millions of lives.

Franklin Roosevelt greatly admired his cousin Theodore. Like him, he believed that politics offered a wealthy man a chance to serve his country. Theodore was a Republican, but Franklin's father was a Democrat, and so he joined the Democratic party. As governor of New York, he used the power of the state to help businesses and people who were out of work. He talked to the people over the radio. He called these his fireside chats, and in them he told the people what he was trying to do. Partly because of these talks, he was nominated for President in 1932. Many people blamed Hoover for the Depression. This wasn't true, but it helped Roosevelt to win.

By the time Roosevelt took office, the Depression had grown even worse. First he declared a bank holiday so that no more could fail. They were later reopened with government help. He asked for new laws to help the farmers and small businessmen. He asked for laws to help people about to lose their homes. Congress quickly passed the laws he asked for. Roosevelt won re-election in 1936. He kept on with his social reforms, and gradually times got better. He called his administration the New Deal. He believed in using the full power of the government to help what he called the forgotten man. By this he meant the small businessman, the worker, the wage earner. These people came to love him most deeply. On the other hand, there were many who honestly believed that Roosevelt's methods were destroying the American system of government.

When World War II began in Europe, Roosevelt, like most Americans, wanted the Allies to win. At the same time he hoped America could stay out of the war. In 1940 he was elected to a third term. He didn't want to quit while the nation was in danger. He also loved power and enjoyed being President. At the time there were no laws limiting the number of terms a President could serve, and in 1944 he was elected to a fourth term. However, the terrible strain and long hours of work were destroying his health. He had enough energy to start another major project. He played an important part in setting up another world organization. In the summer and fall of 1944, representatives of the United States, Great Britain, the Soviet Union, and Nationalist China met in D.C. They drafted plans for what became known as the United Nations. Its charter was drawn up the next year when Truman was President. Roosevelt died suddenly on April 12, 1945.