US History concept recognition part 1

Foreign Policy

• Definition: A government’s strategy in dealing with other nations to safeguard national interests.

• Essence: Includes goals (security, prosperity), tools (diplomacy, military, trade), and values (democracy, human rights).

• Institutions Involved: President, Congress, Department of State, NSC (National Security Council)

Diplomacy

• Definition: The practice of conducting negotiations between nations to manage international relations.

• Purpose: Avoid conflict, promote national interests.

• Example: Wilson’s diplomacy during WWI; Reagan–Gorbachev summits during the Cold War.

Diplomatic Relations

Definition: Formal relationships between countries managed through embassies and diplomats.

Forms: Bilateral (two states), multilateral (e.g., UN).

Example: U.S. relations with Cuba severed after the revolution, partially restored under Obama.

International Relations

Definition: The study of political, economic, and social interactions among states and global actors.

Scope: Encompasses foreign policy, diplomacy, war, peace, international law.

External Policy Strategy

Definition: A comprehensive plan guiding a country’s external actions.

Goals: Security, trade, cultural influence.

Tools: Alliances, treaties, soft power.

“The American Century”

Definition:

A phrase coined by Henry Luce (American media magnate) describing the 20th century as the time when the United States would lead the world in politics, economics, and culture.

Linked Events:

U.S. entry into World War II

The Cold War and U.S.–Soviet rivalry

Creation of the United Nations

Establishment of Bretton Woods institutions (World Bank, IMF)

Marshall Plan, NATO, global capitalism

Date:

1941, in an editorial published in Life magazine

Key Figure:

Henry Luce, founder of Time, Life, and Fortune magazines; believed America had a duty to promote democracy and capitalism worldwide

“The Missionary Nature of U.S. Foreign Policy”

Definition: U.S. tendency to promote democracy, human rights, and American values abroad.

Roots: From Manifest Destiny to Cold War and Bush’s Freedom Agenda.

Debate: Humanitarian or imperialist?

Isolationism

Definition: Policy of avoiding alliances and foreign conflicts.

Historical Era: 1790s–1941 (esp. between WWI and WWII).

Key Document: Washington’s Farewell Address (1796).

Ended: Pearl Harbor (1941).

American Exceptionalism

Definition: The (false) belief that the U.S. has a unique mission to transform the world.

Used in: Monroe Doctrine, Wilson’s rhetoric, Bush’s foreign policy.

Is just a justification for interventionism.

Expansionism

Definition: Policy of extending a nation’s boundaries and influence.

Key Periods: 19th century, early 20th century.

Events: Louisiana Purchase, Mexican-American War, Spanish-American War.

The Louisiana Purchase

Definition: 1803 land deal between U.S. and France doubling U.S. territory.

Date: April 30, 1803.

President: Thomas Jefferson.

Event: U.S. bought 830,000 square miles for $15 million.

Manifest Destiny

Definition: 19th-century belief that the U.S. was destined to expand across North America.

Ideology: Civilizing mission tied to expansion.

Result: Justified wars, indigenous displacement, Mexican-American War.

The Monroe Doctrine

Definition: U.S. policy opposing European colonialism in the Americas.

Date: 1823.

President: James Monroe.

Purpose: Protect Western Hemisphere from European interference.

The Monroe Doctrine asserted that any attempt by European nations to interfere in the Americas would be viewed as a hostile act against the United States, establishing a foundation for U.S. foreign policy in the region.

Alfred Thayer Mahan

• Who: Naval theorist, advocated for U.S. naval power.

• Key Work: The Influence of Sea Power upon History.

• Beliefs: Global power requires a strong navy, overseas bases.

• Influence: Spanish-American War, imperial strategy.Mahan emphasized that control of the seas was vital for national supremacy, influencing U.S. naval strategy and expansionism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Realpolitik

• Definition: Foreign policy based on practical objectives rather than ideals.

• Examples: Nixon–Kissinger détente with USSR and China.

• Key Figures: Otto von Bismarck (originator), Henry Kissinger. Realpolitik emphasizes pragmatic decision-making in international relations.

Wilson and U.S. Neutrality

Definition: President Woodrow Wilson's initial policy of keeping the United States out of World War I.
Context: At the start of WWI (1914), Wilson declared neutrality, hoping the U.S. could be a peace broker. But over time, unrestricted German submarine warfare and the Zimmermann Telegram made neutrality unsustainable.

The Fourteen Points (Essence Only)

Definition: Wilson's plan for post-WWI peace, promoting democracy, self-determination, and a new world order.
Context: Introduced in 1918, the points were meant to avoid future wars. They rejected secret treaties, promoted free trade, and called for a League of Nations.

Wilson’s Liberal Internationalism

Definition: A foreign policy belief that democracy, capitalism, and cooperation among nations could ensure peace.
Context: Wilson believed the U.S. had a duty to spread democratic values and help build international institutions. This was a break from isolationism.

The League of Nations

Definition: An international organization founded after WWI to maintain peace and prevent future wars.
Context: Proposed by Wilson as part of his Fourteen Points and established in the Treaty of Versailles. It had no military force and the U.S. did not join, weakening its power.
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded in 1920 to promote peace and cooperation among countries, but it ultimately lacked enforcement power and the participation of the United States.

Versailles Peace Treaty

Definition: The peace treaty that ended World War I and imposed harsh terms on Germany.
Context: Signed in the Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, it redrew Europe’s map and blamed Germany for the war (War Guilt Clause). Wilson hoped it would follow his Fourteen Points, but it became more about punishment.
Linked Events: Led to resentment in Germany, rise of Hitler
Date: June 28, 1919
Key Figures: Woodrow Wilson, Georges Clemenceau (France), David Lloyd George (UK)