Charles R. Crane and Wilsonian Progressivism

This book presents a study of the career of Charles R. Crane, a central player in President Woodrow Wilsons entourage. In the wake of the U.S. intervention in the Great War, Crane participated in important diplomatic and fact-finding missions. Leclair follows Crane through revolutionary Russia and on the Western front, in the emerging countries born out of the Ottoman Empire, and then in postwar China. In the process, Leclairs book offers original insights into some of the major domestic and international decisions that define Wilsons presidency and its legacy in the history of the United States and of international relations, most notably Wilsons motivation and effort to bring about a new world order under American political and moral leadership. Leclair convincingly portrays Crane as a proponent of the principle of self-determination one, indeed, whose aversion to colonialism predated Wilsons international vision as formulated in his Fourteen Points. While a convergence of reform interest and humanitarian concerns brought Crane and Wilson together on some of the most complex issues of the time, Cranes vision propelled by a genuine philanthropic commitmentadds substance to what has largely been derided as empty Wilsonian idealism. The thematic structure of this book, the quality of its narration, and the wealth of information it contains, are added elements that make it an excellent contribution to the field of U.S. history. It could be used as a an assigned reading in college or university courses, especially in advanced American history, American Political thought and international relations courses.