The Franco-Mexican War The Franco-Mexican War was a war fought by two very different countries then they are today. The war was fought over reasons that seem very unlikely to arise ever again between these two countries. The war was fought over gaining territory, group thinking, and just pure human Nature. These are very unlikely to be present between Mexico and France now. Humans are said to be naturally aggressive. From the time of Adam and Eve humans have always been looking out to gain power. Humans as well as animals have a natural aggressive and also territorial instinct. This is a frequent cause of war. (Hensel) Emperor Napoleon III was a very power hungry leader. Like his uncle, Napoleon I, Napoleon III wanted to gain as much power as he could. When he realized that there was an opportunity to seize more land Napoleon III took it. He realized that Mexico had just finished a civil war and their government was weak. His aggressive instinct caused Napoleon to seize the moment. This war was mostly motivated because of Napoleon III's aggressive nature. He wanted to become like his uncle and he took advantage of it. Napoleon III was known to be a very aggressive and power hungry man. Like his uncle he was very aggressive militarily and tried to gain as much power and land as possible.(Meyer & Sherman) These aggressive actions have toned down a great deal not only between France and Mexico but with all countries in the world today. There are countries that allow their aggressive tendencies to get the best of them. All in all though humans have evolved in understanding that acting on our aggressive tendencies is not always the best thing to do in situations that involve possible war. Another reason for the war to start is territory. In order for Napoleon III to gain power he needs land. The theory behind conflict starting over territory is stated as such; Explicit Contention over territory, official government representation, and claims of a specific territory must all be met, in order for a conflict to exist. (Hensel) Napoleon went to Mexico in order to gain back some of the money lent to the Mexican Army. When he his legion/army arrived in Mexico his intentions changed immediately. He wanted not only to gain power but also to place his own appointed leader into the thrown. Napoleon III ordered his army to take over Mexico and claim it for France.(Meyer & Sherman) This was the start of a territorial conflict.
There are many reasons that the human race goes to war against each other. In the essay The Ecstasy of War (1997) by Barbara Ehrenreich, she states that one reason that war is started between men is people want to expand, to move further in life and the man-kind are trained to be ready for war.
Under Emperor Napoleon III, who detested the United States, the French came to stay. They brought a Hapsburg prince with them to rule the new Mexican empire. His name was Maximilian; his wife, Carolota. Napoleon's French Army had not been defeated in 50 years, and it invaded Mexico with the finest modern equipment and with a newly reconstituted Foreign Legion. The French were not afraid of anyone, especially since the United States was embroiled in its own Civil War.
As Americans, we’ve taken far greater than just tacos, burritos, and nachos from the culture of Mexico. Through America’s past relations with Mexico, America has taken large amounts of land, and a sense of power from country south of the United States, Mexico. In 1846, James Polk, a former president of the United States, declared war on Mexico. There was confusion between Mexico and America. Land was being traded, new borders were being formed, but disorientation was aroused causing conflict. Differences in culture, beliefs, and even national law led to dispute among these two countries, making it even more difficult to reach a treaty of peace, or a deal. The Mexican-American War was not justified because it was an excuse for gaining land,
Was the United States Justified in Going to War with Mexico? The Mexican War, or the "U.S. Invasion" (according to the Mexicans) started on April 24, 1826. Many Americans and Mexicans died fighting in the Mexican War. This war was nothing compared to the Civil War just 15 years later but it was heart breaking for everyone at that time. At the end of the war half of the country of Mexico was taken by the United States as a war prize. So, was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico? I think the U.S. was unjustified to go to war with Mexico because, the United states provokes the war and starts the war, the only reason they had the Mexican war was to gain land and lastly Texas was stolen from Mexico by southern slave owners.
the land and yet it had such a weak economy and could use the money
The Mexican–American War, also known as the Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexican War, the Invasion of Mexico, the U.S. Intervention, or the United States War Against Mexico, was an armed conflict between the United States and the Centralist Republic of Mexico from 1846 to 1848 in the wake of the 1845 U.S. annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory despite the 1836 Texas Riot.
The United States was not justified in going to war with Mexico because America came in and broke the laws, there were no borders for Texas, and America stole Mexico's land. Tejanos(Mexicans) invited Americans in to settle in Texas. Americans also known as Anglos Broke most of the few laws Mexico made. There was a war for the independence of Texas. A couple years later, President Polk went to go ask Mexico for some of their land because of their belief called Manifest destiny.
Napoleon was at it again with the right words at the right time. Napoleon tried to convince the U.S. to help them seize Spain for their West half of Florida. Napoleon once again turned on his deceitfulness and had his brother occupy Florida. Napoleon's brother did not give Florida up, so the United States had to purchase the rest of it from Spain. Napoleon’s brother was just saying he owned it so France could get more money.
Beginning in 1845 and ending in 1850 a series of events took place that would come to be known as the Mexican war and the Texas Revolution. This paper will give an overview on not only the events that occurred (battles, treaties, negotiations, ect.) But also the politics and reasoning behind it all. This was a war that involved America and Mexico fighting over Texas. That was the base for the entire ordeal. This series of events contained some of the most dramatic war strategy that has ever been implemented.
They believed that war was the right thing to do and that all countries needed to be ready for war. If a country felt they had a lot of power, they would, no doubt, try to conquer a weaker neighbor or just any other country. Imperialism, which was the countries that wanted to build an empire, was another reason. For a country to become an empire, they would have to colonize and conquer other territories. This would easily start wars, and it's not that hard to figure out why.
THESIS : “ The United States didn’t want to get involved in the Spanish-American War, but was dragged into it due to yellow journalism, they wanted to control the seas, and wanted complete control over Cuba.”
The Mexican-American war determined the destiny of the United States of America, it determined whether or not it would become a world power and it established the size of the United States of America. Perhaps the war was inevitable due to the idea of Manifest Destiny - Americans thought they had the divine right to extend their territory. The Mexican-American War started mainly because of the annexation of the Republic of Texas (established in 1836 after breaking away from Mexico). The United States and Mexico still had conflicts on what the borders of Texas was, the United States claimed that the Texas border with Mexico was the Rio Grande, but the Mexicans said that it was the Nueces River, so the land in between were disputed and claimed by both the United States and Mexico.
Almost every state on Earth desires peace, so why do countries go to war so often? Between World War I and World War II alone, there were an estimated 81 million casualties (Primary Megadeaths). Each state has different values and desires and many are willing to do whatever it takes to ensure those values remain in their state as well as spread to others. War results in a failure of states to successfully bargain with one another. The most common reason for wars to occur is territorial control. Of the 155 wars in the past three centuries, 83 of them dealt with territory (Holsti). Adding more territory will often add more wealth to the state. One way it can do that is by providing goods, resources, or industries that a state needs, such as oil or minerals. Iran and Iraq fought a war from 1980-1988 partially because Iraq sought to take control of Iran’s southern oil fields, according to World Politics. Military strategy can also play a role in why states seek new territories. Finally, states can be interested in territory for ethnic, cultural, or historical reasons. A prime ex...
This desire manifested itself during The Second Punic War, which was the ultimate fight for supremacy in the Ancient World. The victor would have control over the entire Mediterranean Sea and all of the trade routes bringing land, pride, wealth, and dominance over the victors enemies. Hannibal took a 1,000 mile trek from New Carthage, Spain, through the Alps, Northern Italy, and finally to Carthage. Hannibal won most of his battles with Rome, but never got the reinforcement he needed to over take Rome. The men that he had with him at the time were renowned for their loyalty to Hannibal and unconventional fighting tactics. Their "Gorilla" type war fair or wars of "delaying" almost saw t...
Napoleon believed that after a few quick victorious battles, he could convince Alexander to return to the Continental System. He also decided that if he occupied Moscow, the Russian government would crumple and ask for peace.