Imperialism

What is Imperialism? Colonialism?

  • Imperialism: a policy by which stronger nations extend their economic, political, or military control over weaker territories
    • context:
  • Colonialism: implanting of settlements on a distant territory
    • context: common way that imperialistic countries extended their power over others
  • Berlin Conference: 1884-85, meeting where imperialist countries of Europe divided Africa into colonies
    • context:

Isolationist to Imperialist:

  • Isolationists: Favored keeping out of foreign affairs,
    • context: against American imperialism
  • Expansionists: favored imperializing other territories beyond continental US
    • context: aka imperialists
  • American foreign policy was rooted in isolationism (staying largely focused on developing our nation) since 1796
  • isolationism: staying largely focused on developing our nation)

Sea to Shining Sea:

  • After fulfilling the policy of Manifest Destiny, US started looking overseas…
    • 1867: Alaska
    • 1898: Hawaii
  • Hawaii as an example of imperialism:
    • economic: wanted sugar plantations
    • military: pearl harbor military base established (1887)
    • cultural: religious missionaries established

Imperial power instead of isolationist one… Why?

  1. Economic: desire for new markets, demand for raw materials

  2. Military: desire to establish military presence overseas to protect economic interests abroad

  3. Cultural: belief in cultural superiority leads to idea that imperialism is a way to spread democracy and improve the lives of “inferior” people- very racist ideology

  4. Humanitarian: Americans sympathized with the oppressed people of some of the places that were imperialized by European countries

    1. Cuba
    2. Phillipines

White Man’s Burden:

  • White Mans Burden: people who viewed it as the duty of white people to imperialize
    • context: justified it by misusing Charles Darwin
  • Social Darwinism: Darwin had said that stronger individuals of a species evolve and adapt over time
    • context: he never said “survival of the fittest” and he never meant that groups of people were superior to other groups

“A splendid little war”:

  • Desire to protect business interests also led to increased involvement in the Caribbean
  • Spanish-American War: 1898,
    • context: support of Cuban indep. led to US involvement
  • Yellow Journalism: Newspapers publish graphic (and often exaggerated) stories of Spanish cruelty to the Cubans
    • context: prompts public anger
  • USS Maine: April 1898, explodes in the Havana harbor is blamed on the Spanish
    • context: causes calls for Congress to declare war, they do, US wins after 16 weeks

Spoils of War:

  • Cuba gets indep. on conditions:

  1. Platt Amendment: gives USA right to intervene in Cuban affairs anytime there is a threat to “life, property, and individual liberty”

    1. One condition of Cuban indep.

  2. Cuba has to lease Guantanamo Bay to USA for naval base

  • Although the intention was not to gain land, territorial gains from the war included Guam, Puerto Rico, and Philippines
    • Philippines is biggest cause for debate: should the USA keep these territories or give residents their indep.