WI: Woodrow Wilson’s stroke happens a year earlier?

[Kirook]

IOTL, Wilson suffered a severe stroke in October 1919 and his wife, Edith, took over many of his presidential duties. What if that stroke had instead happened in October 1918, during the last days of World War I?

There are two possible outcomes to consider here:

1. As OTL, but earlier. Wilson survives but is unable to serve as President until he recovers. (Assume this takes about as long as it did IOTL, give or take a little bit.)
2. The stroke kills Wilson. Marshall becomes the President.

Whoever takes the reins of power during this time will have to handle the Paris Peace Conference and other negotiations leading up to the Treaty of Versailles, as well as the proposal and ratification (or not) of Prohibition and women’s suffrage. How would history be different if Woodrow Wilson were unable to lead the country during this critical time?

 

[Amadeus]

If he survives the stroke and lives this could potentially be disastrous not just for the United States but for the world as well. Wilson's wife and his aides were adamant that the President retain his authority instead of resigning or making Thomas Marshall acting President. In OTL the stroke clearly damaged Wilson's mental abilities as he told his Congressional allies to vote against his own treaty because it contained Lodge's amendments. Having such a broken man in power during wartime and the Versailles Conference could have unpredictable consequences, almost certainly to be extremely negative.

If he dies, then ironically this would be better for Wilson's legacy. He'll have died a martyr like FDR, and the pragmatic Marshall would perhaps get better results from Versailles. He certainly would have worked with Lodge to ratify the Versailles Treaty and America joins the League of Nations in 1919.

 

[Kirook]

If he survives the stroke and lives this could potentially be disastrous not just for the United States but for the world as well. Wilson's wife and his aides were adamant that the President retain his authority instead of resigning or making Thomas Marshall acting President. In OTL the stroke clearly damaged Wilson's mental abilities as he told his Congressional allies to vote against his own treaty because it contained Lodge's amendments. Having such a broken man in power during wartime and the Versailles Conference could have unpredictable consequences, almost certainly to be extremely negative.

While I can definitely see Wilson's incapacity causing problems for the US, someone still has to go to Versailles and negotiate the treaty there. And I very much doubt that anyone at the time would stand for that representative being Edith Wilson. Marshall might have to go on the President's behalf.

 

[Masteroftheuniverse]

President Marshall would be interesting, given his support of military intervention against the Bolsheviks.

 

[Amadeus]

Marshall might have to go on the President's behalf.

IMO it's more likely to be the Secretary of State. VP's had little authority or influence within the Cabinet during this period.

 

[Pesterfield]

And I very much doubt that anyone at the time would stand for that representative being Edith Wilson.

Could she accompany him then 'Weekend at Bernie's' things?
While amusing I think people would expect to interact with the President too much to make it really possible. On the other hand he isn't actually dead, so the function he does have might help.

 

[Kirook]

IMO it's more likely to be the Secretary of State. VP's had little authority or influence within the Cabinet during this period.

A quick Google search tells me that his Secretary of State, Robert Lansing, wasn't nearly as much of a supporter of the League of Nations as Lansing himself was. Without Wilson's push, it's possible that the League is never created in the first place.

 

[Amadeus]

A quick Google search tells me that his Secretary of State, Robert Lansing, wasn't nearly as much of a supporter of the League of Nations as Lansing himself was. Without Wilson's push, it's possible that the League is never created in the first place.

Creation of a League had strong support from Roosevelt and Taft while they were President, David Lloyd George was strongly in favor of this. The Allies in general wanted to create a post-war peacekeeping body that would hopefully prevent another Great War from happening. So without Wilson a League or some version of the idea is going to be implemented, Wilson's role in this is hugely exaggerated by historians. Especially when considering that Britain and France were the dominant powers at Versailles and they largely dismissed Wilson's proposals. But even if a League is never created it would hardly matter given that it was practically useless in OTL. Even with American membership the League would be too structurally flawed and toothless to enforce international law.

 

[sloreck]

With the war going on and the peace conference on the plate, hiding Wilson's condition is going to be much more difficult. The minute he is out of the living quarters of the White House and in public things will be glaringly obvious. Only by keeping him cloistered and limiting access could his wife more or less run things as he convalesced. Of course, if the cat is out of the bag this creates a significant constitutional issue as there were no provisions for temporary (or permanent) replacement of the president due to incapacity.

 

[Amadeus]

Of course, if the cat is out of the bag this creates a significant constitutional issue as there were no provisions for temporary (or permanent) replacement of the president due to incapacity.

In fact it would be a major Presidential scandal, prompting calls for Wilson to resign.

 

[History Learner]

There was a major lobby arguing for war with Mexico since 1916 and it ultimately reached its peak in 1919 until Wilson's recovery derailed it; it was supported by a broad coalition of groups, and planned to make Mexico a protectorate although it was suggested annexation could be on the table. In 1918 the British even proposed a joint-intervention to secure the oil interests there of both nations. Without Wilson, it's entirely likely this occurs.

 

[sloreck]

Until things are settled in Europe any major effort in mexico by the USA, let alone the UK is off the table. BEFORE April, 1917 the USA could have gotten busy in Mexico, but once the USA is fighting Germany and getting the AEF stood up and sent to France, they simply can't divide their effort. After November, 1918 you could see the AEF redirected to Mexico or the units ready to go to France sent to Texas instead of being demobilized.

 

[IntellectuallyHonestRhino]

GOP still wins. Isolationism was very strong at that point in American history and majority of Americans were livid at Wilson for going to war; he broke his promise to "keep us out of the war".

 

[Magnum]

There was a major lobby arguing for war with Mexico since 1916 and it ultimately reached its peak in 1919 until Wilson's recovery derailed it; it was supported by a broad coalition of groups, and planned to make Mexico a protectorate although it was suggested annexation could be on the table. In 1918 the British even proposed a joint-intervention to secure the oil interests there of both nations. Without Wilson, it's entirely likely this occurs.

Source? This is immensely interesting

 

[Kirook]

Until things are settled in Europe any major effort in mexico by the USA, let alone the UK is off the table. BEFORE April, 1917 the USA could have gotten busy in Mexico, but once the USA is fighting Germany and getting the AEF stood up and sent to France, they simply can't divide their effort. After November, 1918 you could see the AEF redirected to Mexico or the units ready to go to France sent to Texas instead of being demobilized.

Well, assuming the stroke happens exactly a year earlier than IOTL, the war in Europe will wind down soon and the remaining forces in the US could be sent to Mexico (assuming no one else puts the kibosh on any Mexican adventure in Wilson’s stead).

 

[Amadeus]

There was a major lobby arguing for war with Mexico since 1916 and it ultimately reached its peak in 1919 until Wilson's recovery derailed it; it was supported by a broad coalition of groups, and planned to make Mexico a protectorate although it was suggested annexation could be on the table. In 1918 the British even proposed a joint-intervention to secure the oil interests there of both nations. Without Wilson, it's entirely likely this occurs.

Marshall would need a casus belli in order to declare war, and given that the war in Europe just ended I doubt that many US politicians would want to start yet another one in Mexico without an outright Mexican attack on the US.

 

[Kirook]

Marshall would need a casus belli in order to declare war, and given that the war in Europe just ended I doubt that many US politicians would want to start yet another one in Mexico without an outright Mexican attack on the US.

They do have the Zimmerman Telegram.

 

[RightHoJeeves]

They do have the Zimmerman Telegram.

That would require Mexico to act on or at least attempt to act on Germany's offer, something Carranza flatly rejected when his general staff told him that it was unfeasible. Diplomatic recognition of Carranza's government was sufficient to guarantee Mexican neutrality.

 

[Kirook]

That would require Mexico to act on or at least attempt to act on Germany's offer, something Carranza flatly rejected when his general staff told him that it was unfeasible. Diplomatic recognition of Carranza's government was sufficient to guarantee Mexican neutrality.

Ah. I knew Mexico didn’t really have any intention of following up on the Telegram’s instructions, but I didn’t know it was quite this hard of a “no”. In any case, there probably won’t be both a Mexican and Russian intervention at the same time—if either happens, the other will not.

 

[DTF955Baseballfan]

Could she accompany him then 'Weekend at Bernie's' things?
While amusing I think people would expect to interact with the President too much to make it really possible. On the other hand he isn't actually dead, so the function he does have might help.

LOL, I am laughing so hard right now. Someone has to write a story like this!

(Hmmm, if I had a character in a Print On Demand book do it it could work, though the whole story wouldn't be there, it'd be more like a school assignment they work on.)