1) Wilson promoted an idealistic foreign policy of making the world safe for democracy through a League of Nations, abandoning the traditional balance of power strategy. 2) In practice, Wilson covertly aided the Allies more than Germany during neutrality, disappointing Americans who expected the war to end all wars. 3) Wilson's failure led to American isolationism in the 1920s-1930s, creating a power vacuum in world politics that had fatal consequences for avoiding another world war.

1. Wilson and World War I The Perils of Idealism: Exporting Progressivism Abroad and Killing it at Home