End of the Progressive Era

I. Roosevelt and the War

A. Openly Critical of Wilson

1. Outraged by German atrocities--the reports of German atrocities sickened Roosevelt, and prompted him to criticize these actions  to  put  distance between himself and his former political alliances with prominent German-Americans.

2. Critical of neutrality policy--Roosevelt was very critical of Wilson's hesitancy to lead the country into war when there was much public opposition for such action.

3. Critical of efforts to make peace--with the entry of the US, the precarious balance that had held since the start of trench warfare (despite German efforts after the surrender of Russia/Soviet Union to move large numbers of troops from the Eastern Front to the Western Front) began crumbling--as did the hold of the Democratic Party on the levers of power.

a. Brokering the Peace--it became apparent by October 1918 that Germany would not be able to holdout much longer, and hoping to get a boost at the polls, Wilson approached Germany about a peace deal without consulting the Allies--another thing for which Roosevelt severely criticized him for.

b. Loosing Congress--with the war dragging on beyond the fall elections in 1918, Wilson did not get the political bounce he hoped for, and the Democratic Party lost control of both the House and the Senate--critical issues for Wilson, as it turned out. Especially when the war ended just a week after the election took place.

B. The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month--the armistice, ending hostilities, was agreed to on November 11, 1918.

1. Wilson's trip to Europe--while Wilson steamed across the Atlantic to take part in the negotiations at the war's end, Roosevelt was laid up in the hospital as his body was failing him. His frustration boiled over into a statement he released from his hospital bed, in which he warned "allies and enemies" that the man crossing the Atlantic, the President of the United States, had been repudiated by his own people, and had "no standing" to negotiate anything.

C. Roosevelt's Last Days--were spent largely in hospitals, or attempting to recover at home. Finally, early in the morning on January 6,  after putting in a full day's work the day before, Roosevelt passed away quiety in his sleep--probably from a heart attack.


II. Rehabilitation of Jane Addams


A. The Women's Peace Conference--the first conference had called women to a second conference that was suppose to meet when and where the actual peace conference itself was held; because of the choice of Paris, the women moved their meeting to Zurich, in neutral Switzerland, so women from the belligerent nations could attend.


1. Victim of red-baiting--Addams, even as her reputation was being rehabilitated, still came under attack for taking her communistic tactics of pacifism to college campuses and other settlement houses


2. Greater reputation in Europe--Addams' reputation in Europe did not suffer to the extent that it did in the United States; peace was more popular in the areas that suffered from the senseless devastation of the war then it was in the country largely untouched by the Great War.


B. The Nobel Prize--Addams name was submitted for consideration throughout the 1920s, but she had to wait until 1931 before actually being bestowed with the award--and then she had to share the award with Nicholas Murray Butler, a friend of Theodore Roosevelt who advocated for US intervention in the war.


C. The Great Depression--the economic distresses of the Great Depression, and the social and political dislocation this economic calamity caused around the world, made Addams' strengths seem stronger, and her weaknesses disappear. Particularly with Adolph Hitler coming to power in Germany in 1933, and advocate for peace was looked upon with greater favor.


D. Looking to the past--Addams was 71 when she won the Nobel Prize, and therefore seemed less dangerous to people. With the onset of old age, Addams also began to suffer a great number of health problems, which helped to remind people of her older work

E. Funeral Worth of a Saint--Addams died in Chicago on May 21, 1935. As she lay in state at the Hull House, thousand of her neighbors--and many who formerly had been her neighbors--filed past to pay their last respects.


III. Conclusion