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The Wilsonian legacy in political science: Denna F. Fleming, Frederick L. Schuman, and Quincy Wright

Posted on:1994-01-25Degree:Ph.DType:Dissertation
University:The University of IowaCandidate:Bucklin, Steven JFull Text:PDF
GTID:1476390014492234Subject:History
Abstract/Summary:
Under various guises, Wilsonian internationalism became the focus of extensive controversies in the United States during the decades following the First World War. From the outset, the three political scientists who are the central figures of this dissertation--Quincy Wright, Frederick Schuman, and Denna Fleming--launched their careers as confirmed Wilsonians in international politics. They believed in the efficacy of collective security, international organizations, and the rule of law as the best means for maintaining a durable peace when applied to nation states.; This study, based on their published writings and respective collections of papers, seeks to explain how these one-time Wilsonians adapted their political ideas to the changing conditions of the interwar years; the era of the Second World War; and the post-war era through the 1960s, a period during which they suffered from the pangs of the Cold War. Wright, Schuman, and Fleming were active publicists who sought to share their knowledge, their insights, and their concerns with the larger public outside the Academy. All three believed that political scientists ought to bear responsibilities for working with government, and each defined for himself an activist role to include public speaking and even lobbying in order to shape national policy. Their careers personify the interaction of the academy with government service.; My research emphasizes the Wilsonian role in creating international politics, for these three political scientists were the founders of the field. Their refinements of Wilsonianism included an emphasis on regional versus universal collective security; on universal responsibilities versus neutral rights; on limited versus absolute sovereignty; and on universal human rights. As well, they helped define the methodology of political science.; Wilsonian internationalism did not die with Wilson; it lived on in the careers of people like the three political scientists who are central to this treatise. They adapted Wilsonian international concepts to the changing political environment of their world.
Keywords/Search Tags:Wilsonian, Political, International, Schuman
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