How much influence would Woodrow Wilson have if the war ended in autumn 1917?
Short answerLess than historically, because a shorter American participation would reduce US military and political leverage at the peace conference.
NotesAmerican leverage depends heavily on the duration and scale of its wartime contribution. An autumn 1917 peace would leave the United States little time to mobilize, deploy, and demonstrate its weight on the battlefield. Britain, France, and Russia would consequently dominate the military facts behind the settlement. Wilson could still present the Fourteen Points, but he would have fewer troops and less financial-political leverage with which to compel acceptance. Formal participation and actual coalition influence are different measures of power.