Quiz: Imperialism, America on the World Stage, Entrance into WWI

Define Imperialism

Stronger nations attempt to create empires by dominating weaker nations economically, politically, culturally or militarily

Define Hypernationalism

Extreme nationalism; Belief in the superiority of one’s nation and the importance of advancing it

Define Jingoism

extreme patriotism, especially in the form of aggressive or warlike foreign policy

Define Foreign Affairs

Matters having to do with international relations and with the interests of the home country in foreign countries

What was Imperialism like in Europe?

• Late 1800's: Economic, political and religious motives prompted European nations to expand their rule over other regions

  • Goal: Make the empire bigger

  • Power/Control

• The Industrial Revolution created a need for natural resources to fuel the newly invented machinery and transportation

What were the arguments for U.S. Expansion?

• PROMOTING ECONOMIC GROWTH

  • Secure New Markets abroad

  • International Businesses

• PROTECTING AMERICAN SECURITY

  • Protect foreign markets from foreign rivals

• PRESERVING AMERICAN SPIRIT

  • Social Darwinism: Justify the takeover of new territories

  • Nation’s Destiny

  • Noble Defeat

What were the arguments against U.S. Expansion?

• Against the foundational values of the U.S.

• Costly

• Risked foreign entanglements

What is yellow journalism?

Journalism that is based upon sensationalism and crude exaggeration.

What is sensationalism?

The use of exciting or shocking stories or language at the expense of accuracy, in order to provoke public interest or excitement.

The Cuban Rebellion 1895-1898:

• Rebellion against Spain

• Spain sent 150,000 troops to Cuba to institute a policy of reconcentration

• Forced many of Cubans into guarded camps

  • Poor living conditions

  • Disease and starvation killed over 200,000 Cubans in two years

US Intervention (Spanish American War):

• Cuban exiles in the U.S. urged the government to intervene

  • Cubans were frustrated when they refused

• American Newspapers report little researched, exaggerated, and sometimes false stories

  • Yellow Journalism

  • Increase circulation

Who was Evangelina Cisneros?

• Cuban women who was imprisoned in Havana, Cuba

• A massive press campaign was launched

  • powerful emotional appeal for the U.S. public.

• Evangelina managed to escape with the help of correspondent Karl Decker

  • The story presented to the public was that of a heroic "journalism that acts."

What was the de Lome Letter?

• A note written by the Spanish Ambassador calling President McKinley and his foreign policy tactics regarding Cuba, weak

• Newspaper Headlines:

  • "The Worst Insult to the United States in Its History.”

The Battleship U.S.S. Maine:

• February 15, 1898, an explosion of unknown origin sank the battleship U.S.S. Maine in the Havana, Cuba harbor, killing 266 of the 354 crew members

• Newspaper Headlines:

  • Destruction of the War Ship Maine was the Work of an Enemy

  • Terrific Explosion Rends the Magnificent Machine of War and Brings Death to Hundreds of the Brave Fellows Upon Her

What was the American Reaction and their effects?

• Increased National Pride

  • Jingoism

  • Hypernationalism

• Generated public support for a war with Spain over the issue of independence for the Spanish colony of Cuba

• Desire for aggressive foreign policy

What was in McKinley’s War Message?

• Sent demands to Spain

  • Compensation for the Maine

  • End to reconcentration camps

  • Truce in Cuba

  • Cuban Independence

  • Spain accepted all but the last

  • Could not longer resist war: America Recognized Cuban Independence and authorized force against Spain (April 1898)

“A Splendid Little War“:

• April - December 1898

• Short, quick, easy victory for America

• American fleet was much stronger

  • Philippines and Havana Harbor

The Treaty of Paris (December 1898):

• Spanish government recognized Cuban Independence

• Also gave up – Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Pacific Island of Guam.

  • In return for $20 million

• “Unincorporated” territories of the U.S.

  • will not become states

What effects came from the war (specifically the Philippines)?

• Dilemma in the Philippines

  • Becomes a territory

  • “unfit for self government”

  • Tried to declare independence and war broke out

• The Fate of Cuba

  • McKinley issued military government for 3 years

  • Platt Amendment:

    • Cuban government could not enter foreign agreements

    • Allow U.S. to intervene when necessary

    • Two US Naval Bases

What was Big Stick Diplomacy?

• The policy of carefully mediated negotiation ("speaking softly")

• Supported by the unspoken threat of a powerful military ("big stick")

  • The Great White Fleet, a group of American warships that toured the world in a show of peaceful strength, is the leading example of Big Stick diplomacy during Roosevelt’s presidency.

Why is America now seen as a world power?

• Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1908)

  • Strong Foreign Policy

What was the Roosevelt Corollary (The Extension of the Monroe Doctrine- 1823)?

• U.S wanted to see neighboring countries as: stable, orderly, prosperous

• If countries engaged in activities harmful to the U.S., they would be forced to exercise an “international police power”

  • Intervene to prevent intervention from other national powers

Taft and Dollar Diplomacy 1908:

• Not as aggressive as TR

• “Substitute dollars for bullets”

• Maintain orderly societies abroad by increasing American Investment

• Promote commercial and financial interests

MAIN Causes of WWI:

Militarism - growth of militaries

Alliances

Imperialism

Nationalism - pride in your country

The Assassination of Franz Ferdinand:

• Bosnia was the central point of a nationalistic dispute between Austria Hungary and Serbia

  • Serbia

    • Shared a language and common history with Bosnia

  • Austria-Hungary

    • Recently annexed Bosnia

• Austria-Hungary was convinced Serbia was behind the assassination and declared war on Serbia on July 28, 1914

The alliances cause a…

chain reaction.

The Great Powers of Europe were divided into..

The Central Powers(Germany and Austria Hungary) and the Allies (France, Serbia. Great Britain, Russia)

What was the American Response? (first 3 main points)

• Immigrants

  • Personal connection with their home countries

• Strong Opposition to the Central Powers

  • Germany:

    • Kaiser Wilhelm II

      • Autocrat

      • A ruler with unlimited power

    • Frightening militarism and cold blooded efficiency

• American Trade investments

  • Commercial investments saw a dramatic increase between 1897-1914

  • German Submarines and British naval blockade were putting this all at risk

  • The need for protection of investments strongly influences the position on War

What was the American Response? (last 3 main points)

• Neutrality= Peacemaker?

  • President Wilson proclaimed the US as a Neutral country on August 4, 1914

  • Protested the actions of both sides: Tried to act as a peacemaker

• Preparedness Movement

  • “prepare for war”

  • 1915 camps were set up to train Americans for combat

  • 1916 an increase in the armed forces

• The Peace Movement

German Aggression:

• U-Boat

• Unrestricted Submarine warfare

U-Boat:

Naval submarines operated by Germany

Unrestricted Submarine warfare:

• Germans submarines will fire on any enemy ship, hostile or unarmed

• the practice of using submarines to attack and sink all forms of enemy shipping, whether they are military or civilian.

The Lusitania:

• Sister ship to the Titanic

• A passenger ship that sailed from New York to Ireland.

• 1,924 passengers on board, including many prominent Americans

• On May 7th, 1915 at 2:10am, 10 miles off the coast of Ireland the German sub U-20 fired at the Lusitania

The Zimmerman Telegram:

• a secret diplomatic proposal from Germany to Mexico, suggesting a military alliance against the United States if the U.S. entered World War I

• Germany promised to help Mexico reconquer territory in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.

• Intercepted by British intelligence and published in March 1917,

• Fueled American public outrage and accelerated the U.S. declaration of war on Germany.

What was the purpose of propaganda at the time?

• drive military recruitment

• boost home-front morale

• secure funding through bonds

• demonize enemies

What was the idea of war without victory?

• In Wilsons Speech to Congress in January of 1917, right before joining the war he outlines his plans to negotiate peace.

• Only way to acheive stability is for each country to mutually decide to work together for peace

• No country can be the winner or the loser, they must decide for peace together