Reviews for When the cheering stopped

The average rating for When the cheering stopped based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-12-20 00:00:00 Brian Mcintyre Gene Smith chose a very apt title for his book, as that is indeed what it is about: when things collapsed, in more than one way, for Woodrow Wilson. The book focuses primarily on the period 1919-1924, the beginning of which we see Wilson making a triumphant entry into Paris. He is wildly cheered there and everywhere he goes throughout Europe. But the lovefest ends quickly as Wilson becomes embroiled in arguments and conflict with the other leaders of the Allies concerning the peace treaty to officially end WWI. Wilson's health begins to falter, and even more importantly, his mental state starts to deteriorate with him becoming paranoid and unyielding. He returns to the U.S. and almost immediately embarks on a colossal tour of the country in an effort to drum up support for American entry into the ill-fated and impotent League of Nations. A group of Senators, led by the haughty Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts, is bent on killing the treaty. Smith never goes into what the actual reservations were that Lodge offered. Smith apparently assumed that anyone reading this book would know what they are. Wilson is wracked by severe headaches, is forced to cancel the trip before it was complete, and suffers a massive and debilitating stroke only a few days after returning to the White House. Seventeen months remained in his presidency, yet he remained in office. He did so, despite being almost totally incapacitated, by virtue of a cabal between his wife, Edith Bolling, and his physician, Dr. Cary Grayson. Together, they hide the real extent of Wilson's disability from virtually everyone. Meanwhile, the business of government almost grounds to a halt as important matters (Ambassadorial appointments, recognition of Costa Rica, legislation) pile up and go completely unanswered. Smith is largely sympathetic to Wilson's wife, as well as Grayson. But he focuses much more on Edith. His portrait of her is that of a devoted and selfless wife trying to save her husband's life and keep his fragile health from deteriorating any further. At one juncture, he even states that her and Grayson's operation was a "success." Well, that depends on what you are measuring as success. If he means that she helped to keep Wilson alive, then yes that would certainly qualify as a success. But if he was speaking of the presidential duties being carried out, that could only be classified as a failure. Smith's point that Edith was not seeking power and truly was just operating with her husband's best interests in mind is valid. I do not think that she was brazenly attempting to run the country or that she made decisions without seriously thinking about what he would have done had he been well. But, this was a charade and it proved costly to the country as the Red Scare by Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer swung into high gear, and the Senate debates over U.S. acceptance of the treaty for the League of Nations reached a crescendo. There was nothing but silence from the White House. The people had elected Woodrow Wilson to be President, not anyone else, not even his wife. If Wilson could not effectively carry out the duties and functions of his office - and he was nowhere even close to being able to do that - then he needed to have resigned. Wilson was a physically broken man - paralyzed on his left side, confined to a wheelchair for several months, and even after that he was only able to walk (more like shuffle) with the help of a cane and someone to hold onto him. He was an invalid. But his mental deterioration was just as alarming: he could no longer focus on issues, or provide anything remotely close to the concentration required by a president. He was irrational, and no longer able to control his emotions. Wilson refused to resign, and even - incredulously - expected to be nominated for a third term in 1920! Something like this would not be able to happen today, and that is a good thing. The last part of the book concerns Wilson's brief post-presidency years. He lived slightly less than three years after leaving office. His wife and Dr. Grayson doted on him and provided him constant care. Wilson never did recover from his stroke, although a few times he was able to stand on his own. While Smith praises Edith for her selfless devotion to him, it seems to me that she comes across in all other aspects as a rather cruel and unforgiving person - nursing lifelong grudges against people over seemingly trivial matters. Grade: D+

Review # 2 was written on 2019-01-19 00:00:00 Sheri Harris Sometimes you read a biography of someone you like and respect, and by the time you finish your opinion of them has plummeted. Alas, so it was with this well researched, well written biography of Woodrow Wilson. He was so different from the run of the mill politicians, the only president with a PhD, a former president of Princeton University, and a man truly and sincerely dedicated to a just and lasting peace. How could you not respect someone like that? Well, for one thing there was his virulent racism. The author of this 1964 biography doesn’t spend much time on it, but Wilson’s views on race were ugly and vicious even by the standards of his own day, not to mention ours. He resegregated the federal government, reversing decades of progress that had been made since the Civil War, citing for his reason that he thought most people would feel more “comfortable” with others of their own race. When leaders of black civil rights groups, which had supported him on the basis of his campaign statements, condemned his actions, not only did he not back down, he publicly castigated them for ingratitude. Then there was the way he bungled the peace talks in Paris in 1919, by taking an inflexible moral high road which left no room to compromise, and thus allowed the final peace terms to be dictated by more practical, cynical men who knew their constituents wanted revenge on Germany, and gave it to them. And thus were planted the seeds of the next World War. Wilson’s behavior was erratic, autocratic, and naive, causing him to quickly lose whatever moral authority he might have been able to exercise. There was also his intransigence regarding the League of Nations. Had the United States joined, perhaps it could have succeeded in reining in the dogs of war. After the Armistice, the U.S. once again retreated into its historic isolationism, so getting the Senate to ratify the treaty was always going to be a difficult fight. Wilson’s cabinet ministers and advisors thought it was possible nevertheless, but it would require developing rapport with and soothing the egos of powerful Senators; in other words, it would require compromise, and once again Wilson proved himself incapable of ceding an inch of ground. He not only refused to work with them, he denounced them so harshly that he ensured they would be bitter enemies for as long as he was President. And finally, there was his inexcusable behavior after he suffered his strokes. He was truly incapacitated, unable to carry out his duties, and the government ground to a halt. Key decisions and appointments were not made, policies were not implemented, and federal agencies were left with no direction. Abetted by his wife and doctor, who denied access to him even by his cabinet officers, he refused to subordinate his ego to the good of the country and resign the presidency. In fact, incredibly, even after he had allowed the nation to drift aimlessly for months he was angry that the Democratic convention did not re-nominate him for a third term as President. He had lost his grip on reality and had become genuinely harmful to the nation he was supposed to serve. So much intelligence, so much potential, such high and honorable ideals, all wasted. In the end, Wilson can only be seen as a failure. It is possible that no one could have prevented World War II, but he was the person the world turned to when the first war ended, and in his arrogance and intransigence he let them down.