Unit 4

Start of Imperialism

Us becomes a world power

Economist John Hobson said

said its abut underconsumption that convinces a govt to adopt an imperialistic policy

Colony becomes a source of

The colony becomes a source of demand for commodities; which helps get rid of overconsumption (more people)

A critic of imperialism, John Hobson

believed that paying workers higher wages would allow them to buy more and eliminate underconsumption/ need for colonies

Why will this not work?

The boss wants his money

Vladamir Lenin, a marxists argued

that when rates of profits fall the capitalists seek new markets to dominate capital

Vladamir part 2

Because all capitalists nations take this approach, dangerous imperialists rivalries result and could lead to war

Vladamir Lenin's view

he is not a fan of imperialism; he is a marxists and say everything is caused by economics; said Us became a world power because of economics

Formal/Direct Imperialism

involves the actual physical presence or takeover of a nation

Examples of this

Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico

Informal Imperialism

mother country supports a friendly govt and pressures the samller country to sign treaties that subordinate its political and social interests

Example Panama

Bananas used by US as leverage to build panama canal; not buy bananas which kills panama economy

Advantages of Imperialist Policy (Colonies)

adding colonies would bring Us out of financial crises; the depression of 1893

Advantages of Imperialist Policy (investments)

An IP would create conditions that would allow for future investments

Advantages of Imperialist Policy (unemployment)

An IP would reduce domestic class conflict by reducing unemployment because of increase in customers so more demand of workers

Advantages of Imperialist Policy (lower classes)

sharing the economic profits with the lower classes

Advantages of Imperialist Policy (Patriotism)

Appealing to Patriotism of working class- "US against them"; distracts them from problems outside of home

Why would Us not do this earlier

so effective

Alfred Thayer Mahan

wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History 1890

Conclusion of the book

If America wants to be a world power it had to have a first class navy

What US needs for a great navy

A 1st class navy needed coaling stations and naval bases thus colonies

Impact of the book

Up there with Uncle Tom's cabin in terms to impact; TR read this book and did something about it

Great white fleet

painted white; built because of Mahans impact; burns coal

Why do we eventually burn petroluem instead of coal

You can see black some from miles away

1889 Samoa Crisis

between Germany and Us; eventually agreed to split the islands

Death of 2 soldiers

After the death of 2 US sailors in a Chilean Port in 1892, the US threatened to go to war until Chile agreed to pay Indemity (payment back to 2 sailors families)

Samou Islands left

still there today; one of only ones left because Germany also tried claiming it

1895-1896 Diplomatic Crisis with GB over

the boundary between British Guiana and venezuela

What Great britian is trying to do

they are trying to expand British Guiana to Venezuela; threaten venezuela; GB had most powerful navy in world at this time

Peacully negotiated settlement led to the

"Great rapprochement" ( frecnh saying that means make up differences) between the Us and BR imperialism for the 20th century

Importance of this

Gb is our ally to this day

President at the the time Cleveland brings up

Monroe Doctrine (no new european settlement in the western hemisphere)

Columbus 1490's

how long cuba has been part of spain

Buban Rebellion

2nd half og the 19th century-aboltion of slavery in 1878 revolt renewed by slump of 1873 (tarrif)

Why was the war started

Cuba wanted it's independence from Spain

Cuba Export

Cuba reliant on US to buy their sugar

Jose Marti

in 1895; did not make it to end; hero

Maximo Gomze

hero; leads cuba to somewhat independence

General "Butcher" Weyler

sends 200,000 troops; very burtal, even put Cubans in concentration camps; many were executed; Brutal fight for years

William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer

news paper engaged in yellow journalism; Journalism that sensationalized stories about spanish atrocities

What the effect of this was

sentiment built in Us to help cubans because its just like american independence; Motivated many to help Cubans

Economic ramifications of Cuba rebellion

US gets 95% of sugar from cuba; causes sugar prices to go up; motivates americans to fight for cuban independence

Cleveland nuetrality

strict neutrality until McKinely becomes pres

When McKinely is elected...

Spain government asks embassadors about president; Leads to De lome letter

De lome letter

Spanish Ambassador's meet with McKinely and they do not think that he is very great; this gets leaked to a newspaper headline

Affect of the De Lome letter

Healines are "Spanish Ambassdors Slam President"; Us hates Spain even more

Maine

McKinley sends Maine (great white fleet ship) to Havana harbour in 1898

What happened to the Maine

it exploded later in the morning; sinks; 100 soldiers killed

What actually happened?

40s years later we discover that the ammunition on the ship blew up; defect in that class of ship; Yet nobody knew this at the time

Newspapers about Maine

word gets back to the US and headlines are "Maine Blows up in Spanish harbour"; no proof it actually happened but adds more US hate to spain

McKinley "Wobbly Willie"

cant make up his own mind so press called him that

TR calls McKinley a

chocolate eclair; means he looks tough on outside but is soft on inside; at the time he is asst sec of navy and would get fired today if he said that

Amendment by anti imperialists

Teller amendment; US was not going to annex Cuba;

Why was it added

lots of antiimperialists in Congress; Cuba reminds US of colonies days when GB had control

Blockade of Cuba

"Cuban Missle Crisis"; allows for no spanish reinforcements to come in;

2 day ultimatum

sent to spain; 2 days for spain to stop or we are going to decalre war

Why was this in place

so McKinley does not have to declare war

Congress predated a declaration of

war for 21 April- attached Teller amendment; Europenas laughed;

Why did they do this

so they could gain pro war supporters

TR on his own innitiative as ass sec of navy ordered

Admiral Dewey to attack the Spanish Fleet in the Philipines;

What would happen to TR if this was today

TR would have been fired; had authority because sec of navy was sick that day

Dewey

sank the outddated Spanish ships and without lsoing a single man and became a national war hero but had to wait for troops to come in so they could invade and take island from spain

Why he waited

War supposed to be about Cuba not Philipines so Dewey does not know what to do next;

Why we attcked the Philipines and the significance

main spanish fleet is there in Manila Bay; no telegraph from Spain to Philipines so the spainiards do not know what going on and that they are at war

Headlines the next day

Dewey wins in Philipines; people in US did not even know what the Philipines were; Even McKinely does not know why we are fighting this

Dewey had to wait months for more troops in order to

invade

Hawaii

needed as coaling station to get troops to the far east so it was annexxed in 1898 and became a US territory

Importance of Hawaii

US needed coaling stations in Pacific; Pineapples in Hawaii; should have annexed it earlier

17000 man invasion

army left for Cuba in June 1898 (months later); Spanish defend Kettle and San Juan Hills because it protects the harbour

Us storms up

San Juan and Kettle Hills and closed in on Santiago Harbour; TR led rough riders

Rough Riders

TR had resigned from navy and him and a bunch of his frat bros from the nvay ran up on foot in Cuba up the hills

Obsolete Spanish Fleet

sailed out to be destroyed by US navy; US also landed in puerto rico

Armistice

August 12, spain signed an armistice

fatalities

400 US battle deaths; 5000 from diseases; more death from rotten meat that US sent down than Rifle deaths; US didn't seal containers of meat

Mauger Smokeless powder

Spanish Rifle that was really good; was agerman rifle that US copied and used in WW1; Us had crappy weapons during the Sp-Am war

TR (newspapers)

Tr got newpaper companies to come to Cuba to talk about how good TR and his rough riders were

Pact of Puris

US annexed Guam, Wake, Puerto Rico;

What about the Philippines?

US not supposed to be involved in Philipines

Us ends up paying Sapin

20 million for Manila; does this because we feel bad that we massacred them; also does not create a lasting enemy; some americans though that we should give up philipines

TR said giving up the Philipnes is like

leaving the Apaches to Arizona

Cuba

Teller and Platt Amendments; Not going to fully annex Cuba

Platt amendment

informal imperialism

What the Platt amendment said

Cuba can not make another treaty without US aproval; also debt; right of intervention; and naval bases at Guantanamo bay

treaty terms

in order for treaty to cease both countries have to revoke treaty

Naval base

there to protect the future of building the canal

Benefits of war-status

New world status-upgrading of dimplomatic missions

what the diplomatic missions means

other countries upgraded their diplomatic mssions to US; after war america is a world power and other countries are sending ambassadors to US

Benefits of war- bloody chasm

Americans not north and south their are just americans and have a common enemy

Ex Conf Gen Joe Wheeler

"To hell with the yankees. Dammit, I mean Spaniards".

McKinley appoints two ex conf generals to high positions

to fight spanish american war; does this on purpose; Wheeler and Robert E Lee's uncle

Benefits of war-Coaling and Colonies

more coaling stations and colonies

Filipino Insurrection

Emilio Aguinaldo helps US defeat Spain, but then removed when he tries to take independence from US

US fighting

Spanish in both Cuba and Philipines at the time

Guerilla Warefare

Philipines used guerilla warefare tactics;

US responds by

rivaling Butcher Weyler in brutality; Us deployed 126,000 troops;

fatalities

4,200 americans died and betwen 200,000 and 500,000 filipinos died (alot from disease; destruction of Philipines and crops)

Press coverage of this

no one knows about this because of the great US oppression and brutality and oppression

Number of troops

10x as many killed than in Sp-Am war and 10x as many deployed compared to that war

What this conflict is similiar to

later conflicts in Vietnam and later Iraq (4287 killed); guerrilla warefare in these and pushed US out

Final Independence

4 July 1946; given independence when US thinks that they can rule themselves (40 years later)