Study Questions

Cooper, John Milton. The Warrior and the Priest

1)      Despite Wilson being considered a mugwump according to Roosevelt, how did these two men manage to maintain a respectable professional friendship?

2)      What were the signature accomplishments of the Roosevelt government and how did these contribute to American Politics and American international identity?

3)      What were the two points of national importance Roosevelt continuously preach in efforts to draw analogy between individual and national conduct? And how were these points reflected in the Roosevelt Corollary?

4)      Cooper referred to Roosevelt as ‘a sensitive subtle diplomat’ how is this reflected in his foreign policies?

5)       Cooper Stated that ‘the failing quad plan marked the beginning of the demise’ of Wilson’s Presidency at Princeton University, how did this also contribute to Wilson’s attitude toward national politics?

6)      Compare the physical and social, childhood challenges experienced by Thomas Woodrow Wilson and Theodore Roosevelt.

7)      Cooper highlights the significant contributions which Wilson made to Princeton University in its development as an elite University, how did these contributions lead to his eventual demise?

Cooper Study Question (end of book) – Amy DeVito

• How important was the fact the Wilson did not sufficiently rally the American people’s interest in world affairs in the failure of his League of Nations proposal? How did Wilson’s unequivocal support for the League of Nations hurt him politically?

• How important were the foreign policy debates that followed the sinking of the Lusitania in shaping America’s military preparedness?

• What attention does Cooper give the hypothetical changes that would have occurred if Roosevelt’s death and Wilson’s stroke had not happened when they did?  Would it have altered the peace settlement after World War I?

• What does Cooper point to as Roosevelt’s main reasons for attacking Wilson? Are they all policy-based, or are they personal?

• How have the strong personalities and political visions of Wilson and Roosevelt shaped their respective parties?  How have subsequent presidents incorporated these ideas?  Were they successful?

• Could Wilson’s desire of “peace without victory” have changed the course of events in post-World War I Europe?  How was his hope different from Roosevelt’s desire to “…dictate peace by the hammering guns”?

• How were Roosevelt’s and Wilson’s ideas for social change similar?  Why were domestic policy issues more important than foreign policy to the American people?

• What can be learned from the major shifts made by both men in their domestic and foreign policies?

• How important were Wilson’s idealistic reasons for entering World War I- making the world “safe for democracy” and fighting “a war to end all wars”? Could “peace without victory” have been achieved by keeping America out of the war?