The End of Peace recounts the 150 days that led to the United States' entry into the First World War. The focus is primarily on the unique personalities involved in that drama, including the academic and idealistic President Woodrow Wilson, the independent and sincere Nebraska Senator George W. Norris, and the progressive reformer, Wisconsin Senator Robert La Follette. The contrasting personalities of their wives provide additional narrative color: Edith Bolling Wilson, the socialite and Woodrow's influential new partner; Ella Norris, former schoolteacher and homemaker; and Belle Case La Follette, a woman’s rights and peace activist.

 

This was a time in American history when many of the issues encountered in today’s news had their roots. The events chronicled in this narrative include

• a contested election (Charles Hughes was initially declared the victor in the 1916 election and did not concede for fifteen days);

• extreme rancor among politicians (a debate in the Senate that almost led to a physical melee on the Senate floor); demands to change Senate filibuster rules (a successful filibuster led to the defeat of Wilson’s Armed Neutrality Bill and later to the passing of the first cloture rule);

• questions about voting rights (suffragettes picketed the White House in a campaign for a constitutional amendment);

• the role of women in politics (the first woman Representative in Congress was elected);

• issues of racial injustice (many of the members of Wilson’s cabinet were southerners imbued with “Lost Cause” beliefs who attempted to impose segregation on government offices;

• immigration concerns (a bill was passed which restricted entries from certain countries and instituted a literacy test);

• issues of excessive partisanship (Senator Norris was ostracized for defying his party’s wishes);

• the mixing of religion and politics (many churches were bedecked with American flags and preachers gave patriotic speeches);

• and concerns about the growing wealth and influence of large corporations (many labor strikes were threatened and entry into the war seemed to be promoted by munitions manufacturers and other large corporations).