American History
Since 1870
Foreign Policy 1880s-1920s
John Quincy Adams (1767-1848)
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President 1825-1829
Secretary of State
(1817-1825)
July 4, 1821
American exceptionalism
Foreign Policy
“America does not go abroad in search of monsters to destroy..”
“...sympathy of her example...”
“She might become the dictatress of the world. She would be no longer the
ruler of her own spirit.”
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1817: reacting to what had happened during the War of 1812
Three Basic Principles of American Foreign Policy
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Preemption: the U.S. would react swiftly and forcibly to attacks
Unilateralism: the U.S. would reject alliances which required a response to
unforeseen developments involving other nations
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Hegemony: the United States would predominate in the Western Hemisphere
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Basic change after 1900
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ambition:
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to create policies rather than reactions
to have continuous involvement
emphasis on executive administration
“militant decency”
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belief in American power guided by spirit of service (secular and
religious) which could remake foreign societies
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What had changed?
Why didn’t this happen after the Mexican War?
» sense of power and prosperity
» sense of religion was different
» lost sense of original sin (the Old Testament)
» begin to believe in national virtue and perfectibility
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The progressive idea pushed outward
Two primary groups
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merchants
the “power dreamers”
1881 Chile
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fishing protest
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No support apparatus
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honorary ambassadors
the Secretary of State was himself often a stranger to the field of
foreign affairs
no experts, no research, no professional system to carry out orders
no regular flow of information
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Basic Attitudes
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Civilized Nations
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United States and Europe
had dominant traits
“Almost” Civilized Nations
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Turkey, Russia and Japan
Backward
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Asia, Africa and Latin America
all alike
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 The Power Dreamers
 National power and its expression (mystical social strength and force) was
the root of international affairs
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Alfred Thayer Mahan (Naval Power)
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Common Beliefs
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The essence of National greatness was independent authority
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There was no need (from surplus or threat) to move outward
But - a grand master plan
The nation “must be strong for the sake of our destiny, our
dignity, our influence, our usefulness.”
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Wanted to play the “great game”
» Some sense of inferiority
» Europe despite power was old, tired, corrupt and declining
» America was
Young
Vigorous
Rising
Virtuous (moral vision of power)
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Roosevelt
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not subtle
no doubts about American destiny (expansion)
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The Wind and the Lion (1975)
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Morocco (1904)
Atmosphere
Tone
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The Wind and the Lion (1975)
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The cake
Toast
World at War
Three main areas of involvement
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Latin America
Asia
Europe
Latin America
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Spanish-American War (1898)
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acquired Puerto Rico, the Philippines, Hawaii and Guam
What to do with the new territories?
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Had been determined to slay the dragon and rescue the damsel in
distress
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Alaska (1884) and Hawaii (1900)
navy ruled Guam
Foraker Act (1900) and Organic Act (1902)
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Rico and the Philippines were unincorporated
dependencies; the Constitution did not apply
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» but would in time learn the American way
The “imperialism of righteousness”
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Colonial administrators, teachers, doctors, missionaries and
the Army Corp. of Engineers
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The “free” the people from their Catholic legacy
An “imperialism against imperialism”
War between 1898 and 1902
200,000 American troops
4,300 deaths
General Arthur MacArthur
Secure by 1906 (Independence, July 4, 1946)
The Panama Canal (1903-1914)
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“Roosevelt Corollary”
Monroe: prohibit certain types of European actions (arms)
Roosevelt: something new
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Would judge and determine the “correct” type of internal
affairs for this part of the world
Would use unilateral force if necessary
Asia
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Challenge was to somehow pry open access from the contending
European powers
1898 American China Development Company
» give way to the Belgians
» optimism runs hot and cold
John Hay: “Open Door” notes (1899; 1900)
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Basic rationale: commerce not investment
The “bonanza” psychology
Thought of China as a resource for the “civilized” powers
Banker’s wanted out
Manchu weakness
war with Japan 1894-95
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Boxer rebellion 1900
rescue expedition (2,500 American soldiers)
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Chinese Revolution 1911
Deep sense of oriental inferiority
Roosevelt did believe that the key to future American foreign policy lay
in the Pacific basin
Europe
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Before 1914, little desire to include the U.S.
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Granted label of Great Power but no membership
Policy towards Europe grounded in the idea of peace
Meant: supremacy of law and reason in the conduct of
international affairs
Arbitration not force
The world was “improving”
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Democracy would grow hand-in-hand with an international federation
promoting peace and justice
there were two worlds, two cultures
Progress and civilization
“Those greaser’s are a pretty bad lot (Brand Whitlock)
This ideal would be demolished in August 1914
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Withdraw at first; the war was a European disaster; insulated from
“their” sins
Saw the war in three ways
» demanded a lawful war; thought in terms of honor and heroism;
the rules of fair play; did not expect savagery
» There were aggressors and the innocent; saw the allies as heroic;
the British doctored the news to fit this view
» Re-arranged their views (peace) to justify a certain kind of warfare
Germany was a threat to the values of civilization
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War could be a means to create good; waged for law and
order
Wilson thought within the idea of an orderly war
Shared the British perspective but wanted to remain neutral; the two
hemispheres
» But; the war dragged on and technology made the “gentlemen’s
war” obsolete
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Submarine;
Land transport;
Gas;
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Machine gun
Britain:
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900,000 dead; 2 million wounded
(Population: 45 million)
France:
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1.3 million dead; 4 million wounded
(Population: less than 40 million)
Total war
Mobilization of a nation’s population
The “industrialization” of war
But; American neutrality was a myth
» Lusitania May 7, 1915
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1195 killed
» U-Boat declaration Feb 1917
» U.S. declares war April 6, 1917
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The myth justified intervention
Saw the U.S. as the only country capable of saving Western Civilization
A war “to end all wars”; war as a utopian agent
Entered the war in the Summer of 1918
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Troops kept under American command
Peace Treaty
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Versailles
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The Bolshevik coup 1917
Wilson wanted a world “made safe for democracy”
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Opposed a racial equality clause; emphasized stability and the
“great white nations”
Colonial issues were debated within the framework of imperialist
assumptions
Wilson believed he had helped make the world better
Fourteen Points
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The League of Nations would be like the ICC
However: Wilson became increasingly ill and fantasy replaced practical
reality
Opposition on what the League would actually do; issue of
sovereignty; did not want to be tied to a crippled Europe
Wilson refused to compromise; looked to the elections for vindication
Article 10
Opposed by Nationalists who thought the country had gone to war for
the wrong reasons
Not ratified
Sen. William Borah (Idaho)
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An extension of the American system
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“I join no crusade. I seek or accept no alliance; I obligate this
government to no other power. I make war alone for my
countrymen and their rights, for my country and its honor.”
Not isolationists but nationalists
Wilson identified American purpose with a world free of power politics;
based upon the principle of self-determination (but; he knew about the secret
deal making)
Challenged Roosevelt’s power oriented approach (sovereign assertion and
reliance on independent strength); his own view of cooperation and
coordination
Doorway to the period 1920-50
Optimism
Postscript
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1889: A November afternoon
» Berlin’s Charlottenburg Race Course
» Performance of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show
» Kaiser Wilhelm II attended to see the star of the show
Optimism
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Annie Oakley; her skill with the Colt 45; usually worked with her
husband, Frank Butler.
The Kaiser volunteered
Optimism
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What if she
hadn’t missed?
After World War One began she asked for a second chance; The Kaiser
did not respond