At various intervals there have appeared on the American scene unique individuals whose ideals and principles have shaped the course of American history and the destiny of the American people. More often than not, they have appeared, as if providentially, in times of stress and turmoil, or at the least, during periods that were particularly decisive to the nation's history.Such individuals have always had certain characteristics in common. They were men of integrity and principle. They had a deep and abiding love for their country and an unfaltering faith in her future under a democratic system of government. They were men of vision whose ideas were usually far ahead of the times in which they lived. And they were not content merely to espouse their particular principles in theory alone, they also had the necessary devotion to duty to work tirelessly to make those ideals a reality, and the courage and fortitude to remain constant in the face of the adversity which they encountered in the process. Most of them had an empathy for the common man which transcended the normal sphere of interpersonal relationships and elevated it to the plane which recognizes the human kinship and brotherhood of all men. And finally, all of them left a legacy of ideas which are universally viable, and which serve as a constant source for the renewal of those ideals which are the foundation and supporting strength of the nation.In the days when the Republic was new, America was fortunate in having more than a few men of this caliber--men like Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton. And later, at decisive moments when the need was great, other men like Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and Woodrow Wilson arose to lead their country and to plead the cause of liberalism and humanitarianism. Wendell Willkie was another such man. He believed in the integrity and worth of the individual, in his right to the basic human freedoms regardless of race, creed, or color, and in the ability of an enlightened citizenry to govern itself politically under a democratic system of government, and economically under the free-enterprise system.His contributions reflected these basic beliefs. At home he strove to lift American politics out of the realm of narrow, petty partisanship and expediency, and to elevate it to a system, regulated by high moral conduct, which would be responsive to the needs of the American people. In a broader sense, he fought imperialism both at home and abroad by working to establish those civil liberties which guarantee freedom, equal opportunity, and dignity to all human beings. He worked to rally the free world against the perils of a totalitarianism which threatened to destroy that freedom, and above all, to rally it in support of a system of international cooperation which not only would keep world peace, but also provide a forum where the brotherhood of man could become a reality.It is the purpose of this dissertation to examine the principles and ideals which guided Wendell Willkie's thinking and motivated his actions, to note the nineteenth-century background which fostered them, to follow the active crusade he made in their behalf, and finally, to summarize briefly the contribution of those ideals and principles to the American democratic system and to the concept of "one world."

This thesis has examined the 1940 pre-convention speeches of Wendell Willkie. The primary objective of the study was to discover and examine some of the chief rhetorical strategies employed by Willkie in his attempt to overcome serious rhetorical problems, to gain the Republican party nomination, and to achieve national prominence. The study traced Willkie'e personal and political development, discussed the major issues of the campaign, and focused on Willkie's major persuasive strategies.The analysis of the strategies of 'attack' and 'unity and principle' revealed that Willkie was competent in his choice and development of issues, effective in reducing the significance of his rhetorical problems, and successful in his attempt to gain national prominence in a short period of time. One might conclude that Willkie's rhetorical choices reflected an understanding of and an adaptation to the rhetorical climate and audience in 1940.

In this rather apt description of Wendell Willkie, the 1940 Republican presidential nominee, two important characteristics of the man stand out: his personal traits and energy and his strength of conviction in fighting for the principles in which he believed. Willkie cannot be regarded a politician in the usual sense; he was a businessman who, because of his convictions, waged a personal war against Franklin Roosevelt and the New Deal - a war conducted outside the realm of partisan politics. His successes in the fight with the administration brough Willkie a measure of recognition and aroused the interest of certain Republicans who held similar opinions of the New Deal; his personality and continued expression of his nomination. It is the purpose of this study to analyze the conditions which enabled Willkie to rise from comparative obscurity to become the 1940 G.O.P. standard bearer, presenting in the analysis the Republican campaigns for the nomination, the G.O.P. convention, and the influence of Roosevelt's third term decision and the European war on the selection of the party’s nominee.