After nearly a hundred years of isolationist foreign policy based on the Monroe Doctrine, America entered World War I, and at the Paris Peace Conference, Woodrow Wilson was the first American president to cross the ocean in an official capacity. But he was coming to Paris not only in the name of America, but with an agenda concerning the entire globe, determined to fundamentally change the foundations of international relations (Charles Zorgbibe). From the politics rooted in the balance of power, which he saw as the main source of conflict, he would make the transition to the world of international institutions, epitomized by the League of Nations and enshrined in principles that were described as visionary by the president’s supporters, and lambasted as utopian by his detractors. What is certain is that Wilson played a decisive role in redefining the borders of Central Europe, in accordance with the Inquiry recommendations and the principle of self-determination (Larry Wolff). Afterwards, the idea that the rule of law should prevail over the use of force led to a series of debates centered on the Wilsonian vision in which the small countries enjoyed equal rights with the big ones, and the majority was envisioned to protect the minority, rather than destroy it. At the same time, the failures associated with these principles are also part of the discussion on Wilsonism since xenophobic nationalism, ethnicism and opposition to being citizens of a world rooted in universal peace would come to characterize the 20th century and especially the interwar period. In Romania, the union of the three regions – Bessarabia, Bucovina and Transylvania – would also be based on the principle of self-determination. Notably, the same concept also applied to the issue of protecting minorities and different ways of organizing the state: while officials in the Old Kingdom preferred the centralist model, some leaders in the new provinces were in favor of a regionalist or even autonomous form of organization.
Wilsonism and Americanism are concepts whose application deserves special attention also when taking into account the humanitarian aid sent across the ocean to post-war Romania. In this sense, we identify two research directions: an ideological dimension and an imagological one. Where the studies written by Ion Stanciu and Anca Crețu present the activity of various American organizations in Romania during this period and detail their impact on Romanian society, our analysis focuses on the message promoted by the American Junior Red Cross, which at that time, was a newly established organization dedicated to young Americans. Here, the messages published in the "Junior Red Cross News" magazine, on behalf of American children play a special role, since they conveyed the idea that post-war Americanism aimed to create a better world with the help of the youth. We will present how the Romanian representatives took up this challenge to reciprocate by examining the content of the sister publication from Romania: "Revista Crucii Roșii a Tinerimii". Our analysis will also include the letters that American schoolchildren and other young people sent to Queen Maria and Princess Ileana. Last but not least, our study will also follow how the American nurses regarded Romania in those years. The documentation will be based on primary sources from the National Archives Records Administration, the National Archives of Romania, the Archive of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from Bucharest, the Romanian Red Cross Archive, as well as letters, memos and diaries of those involved. In terms of secondary sources, we will also consult the literature on the history of the Red Cross during the interwar period. Background image source: Red cross on white concrete building photo – Free Usa Image on Unsplash
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
The Ethos of Dialogue and Education
|