Foreign Policy 1890-1920 (exc. WW1)

the end of Westward Expansion (motive)

the need for a new frontier (Turner’s thesis) drive America to seek and empire

the need for markets/economic (motive)

America had a surplus farm produce and was dealing with the 1893 depression, they needed new markets to absorb economic difficulties

Accodental imperialism (motive)

America never sought an empire as it did not economically need one - it just accidentally acquired one

Progressive imperialism (motive)

US had a desire to improve the lives of non-Americans (eg, through buildings hospitals, sending missionaries), they developed an empire to export American values, driven by a belief in WASP superiority

Preclusive Imperialism (motive)

US took its own colonies to prevent other countries from doing so eg, European powers

Interventions in Samoa - Mckinley

• US intervened in their 1898 civil war

• 1899 - Germany, Britain and US sign a treaty to abolish Samoan monarchy

• US established a protectorate on Eastern Samoa, Britain relinquished all rights to the area (PRECLUSIVE)

interventions in Hawaii - Mckinley

• 1898 - the US annexes Hawaii following the rebellion of the Queen in 1891

• ECONOMIC - sugar trade in Hawaii useful to US

Interventions in Puerto Rico (Mckinley)

• 1898 - 15 troops invaded, removing Spanish colonisers

• PRECLUSIVE - removed European powers, 1900 Organic Act meant PR would be administered by the US

interventions in Venezuela (Cleveland)

• 1895 - Britain and the US dispute over the border, US wanted arbitration but GB refused

• US sent 54 vessels, GB backed down

• PRECLUSIVE - border eventually ruled in favour of US/Venezuela

Anti Imperialist league date

est. 1898

prominent members of the Anti Imperialist league

William j Bryan, Samuel Gompers, Andrew Carnegie, Grover Cleveland, Mark Twain

Yellow journalism (Span-Am causes)

• yellow journalism - William Randolph Hearst, Joesph Pullitzer

• included emotive accounta of Spanish colnial brutality in Cuba, particularly towards women and children

the Maine incident (Span-Am causes)

USS Maine exploded in a port in Havana, 266 US sailors died, accusations of spanish sabotage

• sparked the prevalent pro-war campaigning phrase '‘remember the Maine, to hell with Spain!’

SPanosh ambassador’s letter (Span-Am Causes)

intercepted letter that was critical of Mckinley became public - the embarrassment of this motivated mckinkey in favour of war, despite previous reluctance

Roosevelt’s view of Span-Am causes (from his autobiography)

ECONOMIC + MORAL

Our own direct interests were great, because of the Cuban tobacco and sugar, and especially because of Cuba's relation to the projected Isthmian [Panama] Canal. But even greater were our interests from the standpoint of humanity. ... It was our duty, even more from the standpoint of National honor than from the standpoint of National interest, to stop the devastation and destruction. Because of these considerations I favored war

Teller amendment

1898 - passed by Anti-imperial congressmen, stated that the people of cuba have a right to be free, USA rejected any intention of exercising sovreignty over Cuba

Spanish American war

1898 - lasted 2 months

SoS John Hay called the Spanish American war…

“a splendind little war” - short, great economic gain

consequences of Span - Am in Cuba

• cuban independence (but US troops stay for 4ys)

• Us maintains a base at Guantanamo Bay

• Cuban economy dominated by the US

• 1901 Platt Amendment

1901 Platt Amendment (Roosevelt)

replaced the Teller amendment, protected American economic interests in cuba (particularly in the sugar industry) and allowed US to intervene militarily if it felt so

Treaty of Paris 1898

• US purchase the phillipines from Spain for $20 million

• also gained Guam and Puerto Rico

Filippino uprising

1899-1902 insurrection against US imperial control over the Philippines

• led by Emilio Aguinaldo

• 4,000 US soldiers die

• US atrocities eg, Pacification of Samar - “kill everyone over the age of 10”

Significance of Span-Am

• a turning point in US foreign policy - the former colony turned imperial

• great land gain

• economic gain in better trade with new colonies - US enjoyed the spoils of war and a more dominant world position

Big Stick diplomacy

• Roosevelt: ‘speak softly and carry a big stick’ - negotiations withe unspoken threat of a large military

Roosevelt Corollary

1904 - an extension of the Monroe Doctrine, US willing to act as an international ‘police power’ against countries that frequently commit ‘wrongdoings’

Dollar Diplomacy

• Taft: avoidance of foreign affairs, using US financial power instead eg, buying up the debts of countries like Haiti to establish US control

Moral Diplomacy

Wilson: desire to do good on an international scale, improving the lives of foreign people through US influence

Wilsonianism

Wilson: ideology that contact with the US could only benefit others, since the US was morally superiro to other countries, their diplomacy governed by benevolent principles

Panama Canal (Roosevelt)

• 1903 Panamanians revolt against Colubian ruler, US sends support

• new Panamanian gov accepts $10 million for US to build canal (finished in 1914 under Wilson)

Great White fleet (Roosevelt)

1907-09

• world tour of US naval fleet demonstrates their prowess and how useful the Panama canal would be

Open door policy w/China (Mckinley)

• 1899 - ODP affirms US trade with china is respected by Britain, France etc.

Boxer Rebellion (Mckinley)

• 1900 - an uprising against foreign influence in China

• US sneds a small no. of troops to help other countries restore their embassies there

intevrentions in Dominican republic (roosevelt)

• 1904 - use of ‘police power’ (R corollary), when the gov missed payments on US loans, Roosevelt took control of the customs revenue, using it to py off the debt

Root Takahira agreement, Japan (Roosevelt)

• 1908 - US and Jaoan agree to respect eachother’s interest in China, in return US would respect Japan’s “right” to annex Korea

interventions in Alaska (Roosevelt)

• 1903 - Roosevelt settles a dispute over the Canadian/Alaskan border, another example of his more active approach

intervention in Nicaragua (Taft)

• US economy threatened by the anti-American president

• 1909 - Nicaragua cancels US mining privileges

• Taft sent marines to install a pro-US presdent

• US gave the new gov loans, in return had control over the Nicaraguan bank

• DOLLAR DIPLOMACY

Wilson continues policies of R+T

• increased intervention in Latin America, extended the Roosevelt Corollary, believing US would only co-operate with a ‘just government’ in Latin America

• US moral obligation to intervene/supervise

• more involved in foreign affairs than any previous president

intervention in Haiti (WIlson)

• 1915 Haiti had a revolution

• US supervised the running of the country from them until 1934