Herbert Feis, Wilsonian Internationalism, and America's Technological-Democracy

The premises of technological-democracy suggested that rational solutions could be found for social, economic, and political problems with Newtonian certainty. The manifestation of this scientific rationality would bring forth a cornucopia of material abundance that would guarantee stability, order, and harmony. Wilsonian internationalism was an attempt to project these technological premises upon the world. Herbert Feis, Economic Adviser to the State Department from 1931-1943 and then one of the premier diplomatic historians of his time, was a disciple of both. This book explores how the premises of technological-democracy and Wilsonian internationalism shaped his life and influence his historical writing.