IB History Unit 1

Emergence of the Americas in Global Affairs (EA 3)

United States’ Expansionist Policies

Political

Economic

Ideological

US’s Political Expansionist Policies

Monroe Doctrine used for this, trying to keep Europe out of US’s sphere of influence

Samoan islands could be used as coaling stations for Pacific trade, increasing trade, & naval stations (similar to Hawaiian islands, which were also used as trading checkpoints and military bases); coaling stations

____ justifications were to increase the powers of US, through money and military

Mahan wanted sea power.

US’s Economic Expansionist Policies

Open Door Policy pushed for trading between US and China, China had a foreign market, where US could spread their sphere of influence

Hawaii’s annexation increased tourism in US, increasing new markets and sugar cane crops which they could then profit off of

____ usually were efforts to increase US access to markets (especially oil & steel) to compete with European powers

US had too many goods and not enough consumers, had to expand

Solution for 1893 depression

US Ideological Expansionist Policies

Anglo-Saxons believed to have better economies, Josiah Strong: Anglo-Saxons=better; Charles Darwin & Herbert Spencer: survival of the fittest, Francis Galton: eugenics

Manifest Destiny was a justification

“Enlightening” other American countries because it was their moral “duty”

White Man’s Burden (Rudyard Kipling)

Sp-Am War: Long Term Causes

American justifications: Spain blocking economic potential (free Cuba=more market for US goods), European powers in America was a threat to US’s sphere of influence (Monroe Doctrine)

Bad treatment of Cubans from Spain (caused US civilians to support Sp-Am War eventually through Yellow Journalism —> Short term cause)

Racial justice rebellions in Cuba; US didn’t want the spread of internal race wars as majority of Cuban soldiers were Afro-Cubans

Sp-Am War: Short Term (and immediate) Causes

USS Maine explosion (immediate) was a big push for Congress to enter war and getting in between Cuban and Spanish fighting

Yellow Journalism brought the explosive attention of US civilians towards Cuban concentration camps and Cuban people’s treatment from Spain; blamed USS Maine explosion on Spain so the public was angry

McKinley, who was a Sp-Am War supporter, was elected

Sp-Am War: Short Term Effects

US wins territories right after war, gaining power on the global stage

McKinley and Roosevelt become very popular, elected into office

Spanish Empire ends with the war

Paris Peace Treaty

Sp-Am War: Long Term Effects

Cuba, Guam, Puerto Rico, Philippines free from Spain; won by the US, solidifying their power and making them a major player in world affairs

Roosevelt stays popular because of his Rough Riders reputation

New military and trade bases were est. throughout the world by the US in their new territories

Anti-US sentiment increases in the Americas

US Foreign Policies

Big Stick Diplomacy: US could achieve foreign policy goals if it backed its interest w/ a credible military threat; would not purposefully come off as strong, but they had the military if needed.

Dollar Diplomacy: replaced US military power with power of its economy and the financial know-how of Progressive Era “financial wizards”

Moral Diplomacy: support is given to countries to encourage and develop human rights; the moral obligation to “save” certain countries, “necessary” to help them

Impact of Big Stick Diplomacy

Used in Venezuela; Britain, Germany, Italy all had debts owed to them, US used BSD to stop Euro. from blockading Venezuela after they couldn’t repay their debts and gain a financial foothold

Roosevelt Corollary created; justified their financial involvement in foreign nations indebted to European powers, kept Europe out of US’s sphere of infl.

Used to declare neutrality and advocate for negotiation

Extraterritoriality exempted certain bodies from the law of the country they were in and instead applied US American law to them; attempt to keep things civil; if someone committed a crime or didn’t pay taxes, they have another chance to say they are following US laws/Brit. laws, leading foreign powers unable to do anything for risk of facing the US military

Used to gain access of Panama Canal (sent a revolt to Panama so they could gain independence from Colombia, they had to say yes)

La.Am. and US tensions increase

Impact of Dollar Diplomacy

Exclude Euro. powers from sphere of influence by paying off La.Am. debts (interweaving their economies with the US’s)

Foreign American economies would be attached to the US’s, “saving” their economy but making them dependent

Nicaragua; Taft offered help, but when they declined, financial managers went in anyway protected by soldiers and demanded taxes; led to military stationed in Nica., US gaining foothold in economy; Nica. got $3mil to establish bases & ports, receivership est. between Am. banks, Nica., and US state departments

protected Open Door Policy by ensuring foreign trade markets be connected to the US

Impact of Moral Diplomacy

Spread democracy, human rights, “constitutional liberty” (all based off US, christian ideals)

US providing an example for other American countries

Dominican Republic: US saw opportunity to “protect” them while they had an unstable, chaotic society after the Spanish abandoned the economy. This leads to the DR becoming more modernized and the US gets their loans paid back to them

Used in China, Mexico, Haiti also → promoting christian ideals and US democracy

Relies on military backup like Big Stick, unlike Dollar Diplomacy

Monroe Doctrine

Part of annual Congressional address about American-Euro. relations

Warned Europe to leave Americas along; “puppet governments” and colonization would not be tolerated

La.Am. realized US wanted what they were denying from Euro.

Open Door Policy

US needed Chinese markets (more people to buy the overflowing amount of American goods)

No discrimination of foreign powers within a country’s sphere of influence; China’s tariff structure would stay the same

Caused the “righteous & harmonious fists/boxers” rose up against Brit. embassy

US helped with fists, moving them further into Chinese affairs, said they would remain “indept” but they had to partake in free trade with US

Hawaiian Annexation

Sugar trade

US dropped tariffs on Hawaiian sugar

Guaranteed Hawaii against 3rd party influence → (unofficial) protectorate of the US

US Navy control of Pearl Harbor

McKinley tariff → increased foreign good tariffs → Hawaiian sugar taxed → US citizens overthrew Queen Liliuokalani & petitioned for annexation -→ 1898 annexation

Josiah Strong

Anglo Saxons = better

Charles Darwin & Herbert Spencer

survival of the fittest

Francis Galton

father of eugenics

Manifest Destiny

inevitable mission of the US to expand beyond its 1840s boundaries and to eventually stretch from the Atlantic to the Pacific; the natural order of things/expansion

Yellow Journalism

the use of sensationalized exagerations or eye-catching headlines to increase consumerism of the newspaper

Paris Peace Treaty

signed by the US and Spain to end the SpAm War

Spain gave up control of Philippines, Guam, Cuba, Puerto Rico

Marked the end of Spanish Empire and beginning of US empire (or world power/imperialism)

Alfred Mahan

Countries with greater naval power → greater worldwide impact

Realist: rapid population, economic, and geographic growth necessitated maritime trade and tools, access to coaling stations (like Samoas and Hawaii)

Roosevelt Corollary

extension of Monroe Doctrine

US has the right to intervene to manage independent states in the W. hemisphere

What is the difference between Big Stick Diplomacy and the Roosevelt Corollary?

BSD: how the US would make a claim on foreign policies

Corollary: includes why the US would make a claim on foreign territories, because they can’t keep their financial houses in order