Essay On Isolationism

By the late 1890s, the U.S. had recovered from the domestic turmoil of the Civil War and

was in the midst of its Second Industrial Revolution, covering the country in railroads and steel

factories. America emerged as the industrial leader of the world with the greatest manufacturing

output, even ahead of Great Britain. Along with its growing economy, the U.S. dramtically

grew in population, adding 12 million new citizens from 1880 (50,189,209 people) to 1890

(62,979,766 people) and then 14 million more by 1900 (76,212,168 people), totaling the fourth

largest population in the world.

Furthermore, the U.S. gradually emerged from its shell of isolationism, first annexing

the island kingdom of Hawaii in 1890. A succession of tense events--Spanish General Weyler’s

polarizing brutality in Cuba, the leak of a letter written by du Lome (the Spanish Minister to the

U.S.) that lambasted President William McKinley, and finally the alleged Spanish sinking of the

U.S.S. Maine--brought the U.S. and Spain into the Spanish American War in 1898. Though

inexperienced and out of form with foreign combat, the U.S. quickly defeated the Spanish in

both Cuba and the Phillipines. Gaining Cuba, the Phillipines, Guam, and Puerto Rico from its

victory, the U.S. became an overseas empire by the dawn of the 20th century. In contrast to

European accusations of American hypocrisy on empires, the majority of the American public

enthusiastically supported American expansionism.

Accordingly, by 1899, the U.S. had strong economic and popular support for

potential war. It possessed immense industrial infrastructure and capabilities, with multiple

transcontinental railroads enabling cross-country transport of raw goods and product...

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...ez Canal in the Mediterranean.

Then, offensively, I suggest that the Allies pursue a two pronged attack on Austria in order to

fell the Central European power and divide the Entente into France, Spain, and Brazil in the

West and Russia, Scandanavia, and the Ottomans in the East. As Italy defends against France

and Austria, it will protect the Suez Canal and enable Japanese troops to attack Austria in the

South from the Mediterranean, while the German Federation directs its troops from the North.

Afterwards, the Allies will direct their forces equally between the Western and Eastern theaters.

Finally, as an overarching principle, the Allied powers should always consider peaceful

negotiation as the first option before further military action or aggression. Diplomacy should be

the first choice, only backed up by military force if absolutely necessary.