Woodrow Wilson:Idealist

VOA Learning English presents America’s Presidents.
美国之音慢速英语介绍美国总统栏目。

Today we are talking about Woodrow Wilson. He served two terms, from 1913 to 1921, and led the United States through the first World War.
今天，我们讨论的是伍德罗·威尔逊。他从1913年至1921年担任了两届总统，领导美国经历了第一次世界大战。

Wilson might have seemed an unlikely war president. He was a university professor before he entered politics.
威尔逊似乎不太可能是一位战时总统，步入政界之前他是一名大学教授。

And, when the conflict began in Europe in 1914, Wilson strongly rejected the idea of the U.S. getting involved. He even campaigned for his second term on the slogan “He kept us out of the war.”
1914年欧洲战事开始时，威尔逊极力反对美国参与这场战争，他甚至在竞选连任时打出“他让我们远离战争”的竞选口号。

But Wilson’s idealism eventually made him believe the U.S. must enter the conflict. He famously said, “The world must be safe for democracy.”
但威尔逊的理想主义最终让他相信美国必须介入这场战争。他说过一句著名的话，“使世界安全以确保民主。 ”

He spent the last months of his presidency fighting to create a league of nations that would prevent future wars.
在他总统任期的最后几个月时间里，他努力创建了一个能够阻止未来战争的国家联盟。

Wilson did not succeed in that effort. But the effects of his presidency are still seen today in both the domestic and foreign affairs of the United States.
然而，威尔逊的努力没有成功，但在当今美国的国内外事务中仍能看到他的影响。

Early life 早年生活

Woodrow Wilson was born in the state of Virginia in 1856 and grew up in the South.
伍德罗·威尔逊于1856年出生于弗吉尼亚州，并在南方长大。

Wilson’s father was a Protestant Christian minister who supported the views of the Confederacy during the Civil War.
威尔逊的父亲是一名基督新教牧师，内战期间支持南部邦联。

Wilson’s mother had been born in England but raised in the United States. She was reportedly warm and loving, especially to her husband and four children.
威尔逊的母亲出生于英格兰但在美国长大。据传闻，她很热心，很有爱心，尤其是对她的丈夫和四个孩子。

Wilson’s early life was marked by poor health and a passion for learning. His education included tutoring by Confederate soldiers, classes with his father, a year at Davidson College, a bachelor’s degree from the school now called Princeton, one year of law school, and a doctoral degree in history and political science from the University of Johns Hopkins.
威尔逊早年饱受健康困扰但对学习充满激情。他所受的教育包括联盟军战士的辅导，和父亲一起上课，在戴维斯学院上了一年学，获得普林斯顿大学的学士学位，读了一年法律学院，以及在约翰·霍普金斯大学获得历史与政治科学的哲学博士学位。

He remains, so far, the only president with a Ph.D.
目前为止，他仍旧是唯一一位拥有哲学博士头衔的美国总统。

Wilson’s academic interests were in government, and how it could be most effective. Even as a young man, he supported the idea of a strong executive, either a prime minister or a president.
威尔逊的学术兴趣在于政治以及关于它如何高效运作。年轻的时候即支持强力执行者的想法，无论是总理还是总统。

He wrote a number of books, including a biography of George Washington, and a history of the United States. He also taught popular classes at several colleges, including Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania, Wesleyan in Connecticut, and Princeton in New Jersey.
他写了几本书，包括乔治·华盛顿传记以及美国历史。他还在几所大学教授热门课程，包括宾夕法尼亚州的布林茅尔学院,，康涅狄格州的卫斯理大学，以及新泽西州的普林斯顿大学。

In time, Wilson became the president of Princeton. He made major reforms to the school until some faculty and alumni resisted his efforts.
后来，威尔逊出任了普林斯顿大学校长。他对学校进行了重大改革，直到一些教师和校友反对这些改革。

Wilson had always been interested in political power. The Democratic Party in New Jersey became interested in Wilson when they were looking for a candidate with an honest public image.
威尔逊一直对政治权力保持兴趣。新泽西州的民主党在寻找一位拥有诚信公众形象的候选人时，逐渐对威尔逊感兴趣。

In truth, party officials believed he would be a weak leader whom they could influence. Wilson surprised them by winning the seat as New Jersey governor easily, and then rejecting their efforts to control him.
事实上，党内官员认为威尔逊将会是一位软弱的领导人，他们可以对他施加影响。威尔逊轻松赢得了新泽西州州长的职位，并拒绝被他们控制，这让党内官员们大吃一惊。

He went on to pass major reform legislation in New Jersey that reduced corruption and protected the rights of workers. His actions drew the attention of Democratic Party leaders seeking a candidate for president in 1912.
他持续通过了新泽西州的一些重大立法改革来减少腐败以及保护工人权益，这些举措引起了正在寻求1912年总统候选人的民主党领袖的注意。

Presidency: first term 第一届总统任期

Voters did not overwhelmingly choose Wilson in 1912. Although he did well in the Electoral College, he earned only a little more than 40 percent of the popular vote. Other votes were mostly divided between two former presidents, Theodore Roosevelt and William Taft.
1912年大选，威尔逊的选票并没有获得压倒性优势。尽管他获得多数选举团票，但只获得了略多于40%的普选票，其他选票主要被两位前任总统西奥多·罗斯福和威廉·塔夫脱分摊。

Yet Wilson quickly asserted¹ authority over Congress and pushed through a number of laws aimed at dramatic reform.
然而，威尔逊很快确立了对国会的权威，并推动了一系列旨在进行重大改革的法律。

Historian Kendrick Clements at the University of South Carolina says Wilson had a strongly progressive vision.
南卡罗莱纳大学的历史学家肯德里克·克莱门茨认为，威尔逊拥有卓越的进步观念。

He was interested in “expanding economic opportunity² for people at the bottom of society and eliminating³ special privileges⁴ enjoyed by the richest and most powerful members of society.”
他志在为社会底层群众扩大财富机会，消除富人和社会权势人物所拥有的特权。

One of Wilson’s most important acts was to create a new federal agency called the Federal Reserve Board. It still regulates⁵ American banks, credit, and money supply. He also created the Federal Trade Commission to ensure fair business practices, and the Department of Labor to protect workers’ rights.
威尔逊最为著名的一项举措是建立了一个叫联邦储备金监察小组的联邦机构，该机构一直以来都在调控美国的银行，信贷，以及货币供应。他还建立了联邦贸易委员会来确保公平的商业行为，以及劳工部来保护工人权利。

And he supported laws to reduce working hours for railroad employees, bar child labor, and offer government loans to farmers.
他支持立法来减少铁路工人的工作时间，禁止童工，以及给农民提供政府贷款。

But even during Wilson’s busy lawmaking, the threat of world war demanded his attention. Wilson had declared that the U.S. would remain neutral in the growing conflict between the Allied and Central Powers.
但是，即使威尔逊忙于制定法律，他仍需要注意一战的威胁。威尔逊已经宣布美国将会对联盟国和轴心国之间不断增长的冲突保持中立。

One of his reasons was that people in the U.S. were immigrants from the countries that were at war. Wilson did not want the conflict to divide Americans.
威尔逊的一个理由是美国民众来自一战国家中的移民，他不想一战分裂美国。

However, he permitted international trade, including with Britain and France. As a result, many believed the U.S. was favoring those countries.
然而，他允许包括和英国以及法国之间的国际贸易，结果，许多人认为美国支持这些国家。

In 1915, a German submarine sank a British ship called the Lusitania and killed more than 100 Americans on board.
1915年，一艘德国潜艇击沉了英国客轮卢西塔尼亚号，超过100名美国公民因此丧命。

Wilson protested several times to Germany about the sinking. He warned that the U.S. would not accept another such aggression. But two years later, Germany attacked U.S. commercial⁶ ships. It also invited Mexico to enter into an alliance against the United States.
威尔逊为此向德国多次抗议，他警告德国美国不会再接受类似挑衅事件的发生。但两年后，德国袭击了美国的多艘商船，并秘邀墨西哥与之结盟来反美。

At the beginning of Wilson’s second term in office, he asked Congress to declare war on Germany.
威尔逊连任之后，遂通过国会向德国宣战。

Presidency: second term 第二届总统任期

The U.S. entered World War I on the side of the Allied Powers. The additional support came at an important time. American soldiers were able to help resist German troops in France.
美国在一战中加入了联盟国（协约国？），美国的参战处在重要时刻并挽救了局势，美军能够协助抵抗在法国的德军。

In time, Germany asked for an armistice⁷ – an agreement to stop fighting.
最终，德国请求停战，达成停火协议。

Following the war, Wilson had a grand vision for how to gain lasting peace in Europe. In a speech known as “Fourteen Points,” he proposed that the countries that had won the war not punish Germany.
战后，威尔逊对于维持欧洲永久和平构思了一个宏伟计划。在著名的十四点和平原则讲话中，威尔逊提出战胜国不要惩罚德国。

Wilson also wanted European colonies to rule themselves, and other areas be given immediate independence.
威尔逊还希望欧洲殖民地能够管理他们自己，其他地区能够立即给与独立。

Most importantly, Wilson suggested a League of Nations that would guarantee the member countries’ independence and safety.
最重要的是，威尔逊提议成立国际联盟来保证成员国的政治独立和安全。

But few world leaders agreed with his plan completely.
但很少有国家领袖完全同意他的计划。

Even in the U.S., many Republican lawmakers in Congress resisted Wilson’s idea for a League of Nations. Some strongly objected to any treaty that would limit the country’s independence. Others did not want the country to be involved in world issues at all.So Wilson began a trip across the U.S. to raise public support for the League of Nations. He traveled more than 15,000 kilometers in 22 days and gave 29 speeches.
即使在美国，许多共和党国会议员也不认同威尔逊国际联盟的想法。一些议员强烈反对任何限制国家独立的条约，其他一些议员完全不希望国家卷入世界纷争。所以，威尔逊开始走访全国各地来获得公众对国际联盟的支持，他在22天的时间里，旅途超过了15000公里，发表了29次演讲。

Wilson’s doctors warned him that the trip was hard on his health. But Wilson was firm about pressuring Senate Republicans to adopt the agreement.
威尔逊的医生警告他此次旅途会严重影响他的健康，但他坚决要给参议院共和党人施加压力接受这项协议。

Finally, he collapsed from exhaustion⁸. Shortly after, he suffered a major stroke. Although he recovered somewhat, he remained partly paralyzed⁹. He rarely appeared in public again.Instead, Wilson communicated to Congress through his wife. When Republicans changed the treaty to deal with their concerns, Wilson told his supporters to reject it.
最终，威尔逊由于体力不支晕倒在地。不久，他遭遇了严重的中风，尽管稍微恢复了一点，但仍然部分瘫痪。威尔逊很少再次出现在公众面前，而是通过他的妻子与国会联系。当共和党人为了解决他们的担忧而修改条约时，威尔逊告诉他的追随者们拒绝接受。

In the end, the U.S. never did join the League of Nations.
最终，美国也从来没有真正加入过国际联盟。

When a new president, Warren Harding, was sworn-in in 1921, Edith and Woodrow Wilson retired to a house in Washington, D.C. Three years later, the former president died quietly there, finally at peace.
当新总统沃伦·哈定于1921年宣誓就职时，伊迪丝和伍德罗·威尔逊退休到华盛顿的一所房子里。三年后，这位前总统在那里安详地离开人世。

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