Comparison of the Idealism of Lenin and Woodrow Wilson in Implementing a Better World - Essay Example

Comparison of the Idealism of Lenin and Woodrow Wilson in Conceiving and trying to implement in Formulating a Better World Introduction Vladimir Ilyich Lenin and Woodrow Wilson are the two contemporary leaders and social reformers from two different halves of the globe, antagonistic to each other in terms of their world view and social ideologies. Yet, there are certain paradigms on which the idealism of these two great leaders can be subjected to comparison. Woodrow Wilson served as the 28th President of the United States from the year 1921 to 1931.

Lenin, on the other hand, was a hardcore Russian Marxist revolutionary whose pragmatic view of Marxism formulated a new vision and genre of Marxism in Russia, popularly known by the name of ‘Marxism–Leninism’.Both these leaders had different visions pertaining to reforms enabling the formation of a better society and a better world. An in-depth study of their vision would definitely formulate a rich comparative study joining the two separate halves of the world into one philosophical and theoretical unit.

The idealism of Lenin and Woodrow Wilson: The ComparisonThere is no doubt upon the fact that by the closing years of the Cold war era, Vladimir Lenin and Woodrow Wilson emerged as the two great revolutionary and political leaders of the world captivating and controlling the world’s two most powerful blocks. Both the leaders were distinguishingly different both in their means and in their ends. The ideological difference between Wilson and Lenin was actually about the emerging difference between evolution and revolution.

It was a clash between liberalism and communism. The organic thought process from Burke’s school of thought on one hand and the idealistic thought process from the Marxian school of thought became glaringly evident in their ideologies. Wilson’s vision regarding the formulation of a better world was through the fulfillment of progressive history. And much contrary to it, Lenin viewed it as a transition, an age that is quite critical in nature apprehensive of degeneration of an older order, and an indication of a violent future.

Lenin tried to implement a discourse pertaining to the progressive revolution which he defines as inevitable in the history of the struggle of mankind. At this point, the contention of Wilson was different from that of Lenin. He viewed it as autocratic derailing of natural constitutional development. In their ideology and world vision, the realm where Wilson showed his calm and poise, Lenin displayed his aggression and violence. ConclusionMany American citizens placed their gullible opinions towards Lenin and much contrary to it; Bolsheviks totally displayed their distrust towards Wilson and his Treaty of Versailles.

Both the prophets of the future placed a utopian vision of the world and society through the road traversed by Lenin is unanimously admitted as more detrimental. The political historians belonging to the idealist school of thought consider that both the political leaders possessed similar views pertaining to the totalitarian concept of state and both of their thought sustained towards the attainment of a goal and not towards the means of achieving it. Yet, a glaring contrast can be always traced between ideology and vision.

Both these leaders and their ways will be always distinguishingly separated through an abyss.