Foreign Affairs - POLI 100

What was the U.S. position relative to European powers immediately following its independence in 1776?

The U.S. was vulnerable to the military and economic coercion of European powers like Great Britain, Spain, and France.

What was the primary foreign policy impact of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803?

It removed the French presence and the potential for Spanish control over the Mississippi River.

What did the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 declare?

It stated that attempts by European powers to establish new colonies in the Americas would be viewed as hostile acts by the U.S.

The Spanish-American War in 1898 transformed the U.S. into a _.

world power

What territories did the U.S. acquire from Spain after the Spanish-American War?

The Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam.

What event in Havana Harbor was used to blame Spain and trigger the Spanish-American War in 1898?

The explosion of the Battleship USS Maine.

What was the dominant U.S. foreign policy approach before and immediately after World War I?

Isolationism, meaning neutrality in international affairs.

How did World War II alter the U.S.'s position on the world stage?

The U.S. became a superpower, possessing superior military and economic power, as most other industrial nations were in ruins.

After WWII, the U.S. took a leading role in global institutions such as the UN, IMF, World Bank, and NATO, ending its policy of _.

isolationism

What was the Cold War?

The period of political hostility between the U.S. and the Soviet Union from the end of WWII to 1991.

What was the Truman Doctrine?

A Cold War policy of providing political, military, and economic aid to any nation threatened by a communist takeover.

The Truman Doctrine is primarily associated with which one-word foreign policy strategy?

Containment.

What was the primary purpose of the Marshall Plan?

To provide economic aid to help rebuild Europe after WWII as part of the goal to contain Soviet influence.

Recipient nations of the Marshall Plan had to agree to rebuild their economies along what lines?

Open, capitalist, and free trade lines.

What was the Reagan Doctrine?

A Cold War policy of providing military and economic support to anti-communist rebel groups in countries with Soviet-backed governments.

The Reagan Doctrine is primarily associated with which one-word foreign policy strategy?

Rollback.

Name one of the anti-communist rebel groups that received support under the Reagan Doctrine.

The Contra rebels in Nicaragua, the Mujahideen in Afghanistan, or the UNITA movement in Angola.

How did the Reagan Doctrine's goal of 'rollback' differ from the Truman Doctrine's goal of 'containment'?

Containment aimed to prevent the spread of communism, while rollback actively sought to reverse communist gains by aiding rebel groups.

What does NATO stand for?

North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

What was the primary purpose of NATO when it was formed in 1949?

To serve as a collective security pact to oppose further Soviet expansion in Europe.

What was the Warsaw Pact?

A military and political alliance formed in 1955 by the Soviet Union and seven other Eastern European countries in response to NATO.

What major event in 1991 marked the end of the Cold War and left the U.S. as the world's only superpower?

The dissolution of the Soviet Union.

How did the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 initially influence U.S. military spending?

The U.S. reduced its military spending.

How did the September 11, 2001 attacks influence U.S. foreign policy and military spending?

It led to a significant increase in military spending and the adoption of the Bush Doctrine.

What is the Bush Doctrine?

A foreign policy doctrine centering on unilateralism, preemption (preventive strikes), and the imposition of democracy.

Define the foreign policy approach of unilateralism.

An approach where a country pursues its goals independently, without the involvement or cooperation of other countries.

Define the foreign policy approach of multilateralism.

An approach that involves working with other countries through alliances or organizations like the UN and NATO to achieve common goals.

How does the Bush Doctrine's emphasis on unilateralism and preemption contrast with the approach of NATO?

The Bush Doctrine favors independent action, whereas NATO is a multilateral alliance based on collective security and cooperation.