In the 19th century Americans took very seriously Washington’s warning against “entangling alliances” which might interfere with the country’s unfolding “Manifest Destiny” of dynamic growth and expansion. A corollary to this belief was that the “Great American Democracy” was a unique-perhaps even divinely inspired-form of political organization vastly superior to the Old World’s tired regimes of aristocratic privilege and downtrodden masses.

In the 20th century America entered upon the world stage powerfully and decisively coming to the aid of embattled European democracies and leading them to victory in two world wars and the Cold War. Launching these extraordinary interventions were three memorable Democratic presidents - Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman.

Good article by William Moloey in the Rocky Mountain News located in Denver Colorado. You can find the rest of the article at the URL listed below.
http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/aug/19/europeanization-democratic-party/