20th Century American Foreign Policy Essay

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The United States has had a changing view on the management of foreign policy from neutrality to a defender of democracy. It is characterized by the Monroe Doctrine during the 20th century that states no American interference in European affairs unless the democracy of the western hemisphere were to be threatened. This ideology was later abandoned with the entering of the U.S. in WWI, WWII, and the Vietnam War. The immigrants of this nation were the backbone of the working class that enabled for the U.S. to prosper economically in an open trade. As an established super power the United States has had a series of world relationships that began in 1877 to the progression of today that established the fundamental values of American exceptionalism. …show more content…

The Philippines and Hawaii became the bases for ships that did not render much success. This is the beginning of an overseas empire that is focused on the idea that naval power is essential to becoming a power nation. In previous class discussions the fact that there was also an anti-imperialism backlash to these new acquisitions spoke volumes of the hesitation of the U.S in foreign policy. The Monroe Doctrine was the standing foreign policy that dominated during the early 20th century that stated that the United States would not tolerate European interference or any other power that threatened democracy in the Western Hemisphere. An example of U.S. intervention was when there was civil unrest in the Dominican Republic during 1965 that resulted in Lyndon B. Johnson dispatching U.S. marines in order to thwart any resistance and regain order. As established in class there was a major influx of Dominicans during the late 1960s due to the Kennedy Act of 1965 that …show more content…

At the conclusion of the war by the Paris Peace Conference of 1919 there was the formation of the League of Nations. It called for the assurance of the avoidance of any other conflict like WWI which resulted in the dabbling of the United States in foreign affairs with their European counterparts. On the other hand, Wilson during the Mexican Revolution sent U.S. troops to Veracruz to aid in the overthrowing of dictator Huerta. The United States being an established power nation again had reservations about joining World War II later on. Under the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration, the United States partook in the Lend Lease Act which lent military vehicles and weapons with interest to fighting nations. As discussed in class the rising power of Hitler and Mussolini fascism quickly spread throughout Europe which meant that the U.S. was the only free-market economy at that point. The opening of the Panama Canal in 1914 was seen as a major threat to the Japanese due to the presence of U.S. military bases on the Greater Pacific Rim, which was the Japanese ideology of being racially superior to all other Asians. Ultimately in December 7,1941 Japanese pilots bombed Pearl Harbor that set a frenzy amongst the U.S. population. In the essay, The People Are Willing by William O’Neill he argues throughout the

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