Woodrow Wilson received a hero's welcome in France. Though much of the World War I peace treaty fell far short of his idealist goals, he did gain acceptance for his League of Nations and the concept of international peacekeeping.

At home, however, isolationism had reasserted itself and Wilson failed to get Congress to ratify the treaty. His last efforts as president were spent in an unsuccessful attempt to build public and political support for the League. Exhausted from a cross-country tour, he suffered a stroke in September of 1919 and never fully recovered.