Final answer:
The 1912 election highlighted differing Progressive platforms between Roosevelt's New Nationalism, favoring strong government involvement, and Wilson's New Freedom, supporting moderate government and protection from big businesses. Their approaches to foreign policy also diverged, with Wilson initially promoting neutrality and moral imperative over intervention.
Step-by-step explanation:
The election of 1912 was significant due to the competing progressive platforms presented by Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. Both shared Progressive ideas but with differing approaches in domestic policy. Roosevelt advocated his New Nationalism, seeking a strong federal government to regulate industry and protect public interests, while Wilson promoted New Freedom, advocating for a more moderate stance with smaller government intervention intended to protect the public from big businesses and banks. Regarding foreign policy, Wilson aimed to implement a moral imperative approach, reducing American intervention unless morally necessary, differing from Roosevelt's earlier internationalist perspective. While they shared some similarities, notably their general progressive goals, their policies revealed contrasting philosophies toward government's size and role in domestic affairs.
In foreign policy, Wilson initially campaigned on neutrality and a less interventionist stance compared to his predecessors, which would later be tested by World War I's unfolding events. Although both candidates believed in the United States playing a role on the world stage, their methods and philosophical approaches differed significantly. The split within the Republican Party, with Roosevelt running under the Progressive Party, led to Wilson's victory in the electoral college despite not winning a majority of the popular vote.