U.S. Imperialism and WWI

Social Darwinism

• sociological theory used to justify imperialism and racial superiority

• states that certain races or societies are more advanced than others, leading to the idea that dominant nations have the right to conquer weaker ones

“White Man’s Burden”

frames imperialism as a noble mission to uplift and civilize “savage” peoples, often non-whites who are conquered by Western powers

imperialism

• stronger nation seeks to dominate other weaker nations either politically, economically, or militarily

• Germany industrialized and competed with France and Britain for colonies → escalated tensions leading up to WWI

Alfred T. Mahan

• U.S. Naval officer and historian who wrote The Influence of Sea Power Upon History

• noted the importance of having a strong navy and urged the U.S. to build a strong naval presence globally to protect business interests

• instructed the U.S. to construct an isthmus in Panama, establish naval bases in the Caribbean, acquire Hawaii and other Pacific Islands, and to build large battleships like the Maine and Oregon

manifest destiny

• belief that Americans had a God-ordained right to expand their borders from East Coast to West Coast

• after Americans moved west across the continent → looked to establish a presence elsewhere in the world

American exceptionalism

• central belief to American political culture since colonization

• Americans have a unique mission to spread democracy and freedom abroad

Seward’s Folly

• Secretary of State William Seward negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867

• initially criticized as a waste of money (seen as a barren wasteland) but later proved valuable for its resources and strategic location

• Alaska provided timber, minerals, and oil

• Alaska didn’t become a state until 1959

Queen Liliuokalani

• monarch of Hawaii, home to American-owned sugar plantations and strategic naval base Pearl Harbor

• threatened the power of white landowners → overthrown by Marine Corps and replaced by Sanford B. Dole in 1893

• took a petition to Congress to protest U.S. annexation of Hawaii → turned away by Congressmen

• Hawaii was annexed under William McKinley in 1898 and became a state in 1959

yellow journalism

• style of newspaper reporting that prioritized sensationalism over facts to increase circulation during its heyday in the late 19th century

• newspaper tycoons such as Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst used this to encourage public interest in imperialistic endeavors and the Spanish-American War

U.S.S. Maine

• U.S. Navy battleship that exploded in Havana, Cuba on Feb 15, 1898 and killed 260 Americans

• no one knew what happened, but the Spanish were blamed → led to outbreak of Spanish-American War

• destruction was sensationalized by yellow journalism, leading to calls for military intervention

• actually exploded because of a boiler fire due to the extreme heat and humidity

Spanish-American War

• conflict between Spain and the U.S. → caused by American desire to expand and influence of yellow journalism

• Commodore George Dewey destroyed Spanish fleet in Manila → Filipino rebels led by Emilio Aguinaldo joined the Americans and saw them as their liberators from colonial oppression

• Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders (cavalrymen) invaded Santiago, Cuba

• U.S. acquired Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines in 1898 after a few months of fighting

Philippine-American War

• Despite promises for independence, Filipinos traded one colonizer (Spain) for another (U.S.)

• The Filipinos resisted and the U.S. suppressed their rebellion using brutal tactics such as water-boarding 

• Filipinos were placed in concentration camps where starvation and disease killed thousands

• After the rebellion was suppressed, the U.S. set up a govt. in which they elected the person who would govern the island

• The Philippines became an independent nation July 4, 1946

Open Door Policy

• China became known as the “sick man of Asia” → weakened from war and foreign intervention

• Secretary of State John Hay proposed this policy in which China’s trading rights would be shared, and no one country could monopolize China

• led to an increase in Chinese nationalism → culminated in the Boxer Rebellion

• Boxers were defeated by a force from eight nations - Austria-Hungary, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, UK, and US

Anti-Imperialist League

• many denounced the McKinley administration for being blatantly expansionist at any cost

• organization boasted members like Mark Twain, Grover Cleveland, Jane Addams, and Andrew Carnegie

Panama Canal

• significant engineering achievement connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, completed in 1914

• greatly facilitated maritime trade and military movement for the U.S.

• U.S. engineered a Panamanian rebellion and promised them independence from Colombia → in return, Panama gave them the rights to build a canal

Roosevelt Corollary

• extension of the Monroe Doctrine, issued by Theodore Roosevelt

• stated that the U.S. was the “international police power” in the Western Hemisphere

• used this to justify intervention in Latin America and establish military presence

• “Big Stick Diplomacy” asserted U.S. intervention in hemispheric affairs to stabilize and protect countries in the region from foreign intervention

Dollar Diplomacy

• policy by President William Howard Taft

• sought to foster good relations with other countries by giving them financial aid and allowing U.S. businesses to invest there

• did this in Nicaragua after they were in debt following a 1911 rebellion

Missionary Diplomacy

• policy by President Woodrow Wilson

• believed the U.S. had a moral responsibility to promote democracy in Latin America and put down oppressive dictatorships

• advocated for the spread of democratic ideals and opposed imperialism, rejecting any governmental support for regimes that were seen as undemocratic → aimed to enhance U.S. influence while promoting human rights and self-determination

militarism

• building up armed forces and getting ready for war

• by 1890, Germany had the strongest army and competed with Britain for sea power

• other powers joined the arms race

• led to increased tensions

alliances

• mutual agreements or promises to defend and help another country

• Triple Entente (Allies) - Britain, France, Russia, U.S., Italy later joins

• Triple Alliance (Central Powers) - Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy, Ottomans, and Bulgaria

nationalism

• devotion to the interests and culture of one’s own nation

• many feared Germany’s growing power

• various ethnic groups resented domination and wanted independence

• Russia believed it was the protector of all Slavic peoples

powder keg

wanting independence from Austria-Hungary, Balkans was ready to erupt due to the tensions and Pan-Slavism - uniting all Slavic peoples

Archduke Assassination

• Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary and his wife were assassinated by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip, member of the Black Hand

• last straw that caused WWI

Western Front

• main theatre of war in WWI

• 400+ mile stretch in northern France

• artillery and machine guns forced armies to dig trenches → leads to a stalemate