Midterm Study Guide - U.S. Foreign Policy and History

These flashcards focus on key vocabulary terms and important concepts from U.S. foreign policy history as outlined in the study guide.

Monroe Doctrine

A principle of U.S. foreign policy that opposes European colonialism in the Americas.

Filibuster

An action that obstructs progress in a legislative assembly, especially a practice used by private individuals to engage in unauthorized military expeditions.

Ostend Manifesto

A document that was designed to justify the U.S. acquisition of Cuba by any means, including military force.

The Great War

Another term for World War I, which involved many countries from 1914 to 1918.

Humanitarian intervention

Intervention by a state or group of states in another state, with the stated aim of preventing human suffering.

Isolationism

A foreign policy of remaining apart from the affairs or interests of other groups, especially the political affairs of other countries.

Know-Nothings

A political party in the U.S. during the 1850s that was anti-immigrant, particularly against Irish Catholic immigrants.

Whiteman's Burden

A phrase that derived from a poem by Rudyard Kipling and was used to justify colonialism by suggesting it was the duty of whites to civilize 'lesser' nations.

Jingoism

An extreme form of nationalism characterized by aggressive foreign policy.

Platt Amendment

A provision that stipulated conditions for American intervention in Cuban affairs and the leasing of Guantanamo Bay.

Boxer Rebellion

An anti-foreign, anti-colonial uprising in China which took place between 1899 and 1901.

Progressivism

A movement that aimed to remedy the economic and social ills of industrialization.