Moral Diplomacy
WOODROW WILSON – A MORAL APPROACH
TO FOREIGN AFFAIRS.
Son of a Preacher Man
“Moral” or “Missionary” Diplomacy
 The champion of liberal humanitarian ideals.
 Wilson believed with religious commitment the US
had been created to serve mankind.
 He hated imperialism and the exploitation of
helpless peoples by the strong.
 He believed all people should have the right to
govern themselves.
Wilson’s Diplomacy
 The US would only recognize Latin American govts
founded upon law and order “not upon arbitrary or
irregular force”.
 Wilson was willing to use military force to show
Latin Americans “how to elect good men” as leaders.
 He hoped that American capitalism could aid the
promotion of democracy which he held to be a moral
duty of the US.
William Jennings Bryan
Secretary of State Bryan
 The leading opponent of imperialism.
 He also advocated peace through arbitration and
conciliation.
 A new beginning in foreign policy in 1913.
 With Wilson’s backing, Bryan negotiated treaties
with thirty nations, including GB, France and Italy,
to prevent war.
China
 Undid the $$ Diplomacy of the Taft administration.
 In 1913 Wilson did not approve a loan to build
railways in China, as it would lead to unacceptable
outside interference in Chinese affairs.
 May 1913 – Wilson recognized the Republic of China
without consulting any of the other great powers.
Japan
 A crisis occurred in 1913, when California deliberated
a bill to forbid persons ‘ineligible to citizenship’ to
own land in the state.
 Wilson and Bryan could not persuade the
Californians to avoid this open insult to the
Japanese.
 Japanese govt protested strongly and there was the
threat of war on both sides.
Japanese Crisis
 Wilson and Bryan’s conciliatory diplomacy defused
the situation.
 They were willing to negotiate a treaty with Japan to
guarantee the mutual right of ownership.
 In early 1915 the Japanese tried to force a treaty
which would have made China a protectorate of
Japan.
 Wilson strongly opposed this threat to Chinese
independence the Japanese gave up their extreme
demands.
‘ Do the right thing’
Panama Canal
 Wilson was determined to ‘do the right thing’ in
international relations.
 In August 1912 Congress passed legislation that
would exempt American ships from paying tolls for
using the canal.
 Great Britain believed that the Panama Canal should
be open on equal terms to the ships of all nations.
Courageous move
 Wilson was convinced that the British were right.
 In March 1914, Wilson went before Congress and asked
for repeal of the exemption provision.
 It was one of Wilson’s most courageous moves during his
presidency.
 Most of the Democratic leadership opposed him but the
House and Senate approved a repeal of the exemption
provision.
Repair the damage
 Wilson and Bryan wanted to ‘repair the damage
done’ by Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 when he ‘took’
Panama from Columbia.
 The Treaty of Bogota in 1914 gave Columbia $25
million for the loss of Panama.
 It also expressed “sincere regret” of the US that
anything happened to ruin good relations between
the two countries.
Damage repaired?
 A great power apologizing to a small country was met
with approval throughout Latin America.
 Roosevelt’s friends in the Senate were able to block
ratification.
 It was not until 1921 and the Harding administration
who negotiated a new treaty worth $25 million but
no apology.
Wilson’s great goal for Latin America
 To unite all the American republics in an alliance.
 Respect one another’s territorial integrity and guarantee
one another’s political independence.
 He hoped for a Pan-American pact which would settle all
disputes among themselves by peaceful methods.
 This pact was ruined by Chile which had a border dispute
with Peru and it would not submit to arbitration.
Military Intervention?
 Wilson regarded defense of the Caribbean area and
the Panama Canal as the main objective of US
foreign policy.
 Wilson refused to let American business interests
exploit the peoples of the area.
 Wilson did state that he would use any means
necessary to guarantee the stability of the area.
It’s for his Own Good
Nicaragua
 Bryan continued to support a corrupt and
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conservative regime.
Bryan-Chamorro Treaty.
Not by armed intervention but by paying $3million
for an option on its canal route.
The govt wanted a provision to allow the US to
intervene in Nicaragua to preserve order and defend
independence.
The anti-imperialists wanted this provision removed
before they would ratify the treaty.
Haiti
Haiti – Military intervention
 “ I suppose there is nothing for it but to take the bull by
the horns and restore order” Wilson in 1915
 American marines and sailors occupied Port-au-Prince in
1915.
 They forced Haiti to choose the candidate Wilson
selected as president.
 American troops occupied Haiti between 1915 and 1934.
Dominican Republic
 The US had controlled the customs revenues since
1905.
 The DR was affected by the same cycle of revolutions
which devastated Haiti.
 American military forces occupied Santo Domingo in
May 1916 and established a military government.
Results – Haiti and DR
 American marines occupied the DR until 1924 and
Haiti until 1934.
 They put an end to revolutions and built schools,
roads and sanitary facilities.
 The Dominican and Haitian peoples enjoyed greater
peace and protection of their lives and property than
they had known before.
Danish West Indies
 Denmark in 1915 indicated it would be willing to sell
its West Indian islands to the US.
 Wilson was worried because of the threat of
Germany.
 He bought the islands in 1916 and renamed them the
Virgin Islands.
Porfirio Diaz
Mexican Revolution
 Wilson fought his first battle against imperialism
while dealing with events in Mexico.
 Porfirio Diaz was the dictator of Mexico since 1877.
 He had given away much of the birthright of the
Mexican people by 1910.
Francisco Madero
Victoriano Huerta
The Situation!
 Reformers led by Madero drove Diaz into exile and
declared Madero president in 1911.
 Madero was an inept leader and in February 1913 a
counter revolution began.
 Victoriano Huerta, head of the army, joined the rebels
and had Madero murdered.
 This was the situation when Wilson took office in March
1913.
“A government of butchers”
 Henry Lane Wilson, the American ambassador in
Mexico City, had full knowledge and backed Huerta’s
treachery.
 WW’s goal was to establish a constitutional
government in Mexico.
 He wished to run free elections in which Huerta
would not be a candidate for president.
 He recalled HLW and sent John Lind who offered a
large loan to the Mexican govt if Huerta would agree
to an “early and free” election.
Venustiano Carranza
Constitutionalists
 Wilson hoped to bring to power the opposing
constitutionalists led by Venustiano Carranza.
 Carranza refused Wilson’s help and said he had no
interest in “constitutional” elections.
 He wanted to purge Mexico by the sword.
 Wilson in February 1914 sent arms to Carranza and
the Cons.
Open Intervention
 From this time on Wilson was fully committed both
personally and morally to the Mexican Revolution.
 He called it “a revolution as profound as that which
occurred in France”
 Huerta was backed by bankers, the Catholic church and
large landowners.
 Wilson decided to resort to a show of force to get rid of
the dictator.
Show of force
 An officer in Huerta’s army arrested the crew of a
boat from the USS Dolphin at Tampico in April 1914.
 A formal apology was demanded and a salute to the
American flag with twenty-one guns.
 Huerta refused and Wilson used this incident as a
pretext to seize the Mexican port of Veracruz.
ABC
 Wilson thought it would be bloodless but Americans
killed 126 Mexican troops and suffered 19 casualties
of their own.
 Carranza denounced the American invasion as
angrily as Huerta.
 Wilson wanted to avoid war so he accepted an offer
from the ABC powers to mediate the crisis.
“Pancho” Villa
Emiliano Zapata
Carranza seizes power
 Wilson’s show of force strengthened Carranza’s
position.
 Carranza occupied Mexico City on 20th August 1914.
 The revolutionary forces had divided even before
Carranza rode into Mexico City.
 Carranza faced two bitter foes – Francisco “Pancho”
Villa and Emiliano Zapata.
Villa and Zapata
 Villa and Zapata set up a puppet regime in Mexico
City.
 Carranza and the divisions loyal to him retired to
Veracruz.
 Wilson tried to persuade the two factions to unite
and when this failed he simply waited for the
outcome of the civil war.
Betrayal
 When Villa’s military position declined, Wilson
recognized Carranza’s regime on 19th Oct 1915.
 Villa was angry with Wilson’s betrayal and he
retaliated by shooting 16 Americans in Jan 1916.
 Villa attacked an army camp at Columbus, New
Mexico in March 1916.
 He burned the town and killed 17 more Americans.
Punitive Expedition
Punitive Expedition
 Wilson ordered General John J Pershing to lead an
American force in to Mexico to capture Villa.
 This force of 7000 men was in Mexico for months
and never found Villa.
 President Carranza eventually protested American
presence in Mexico and his forces engaged in two
skirmishes in which Mexicans and Americans were
killed.
On the brink
 The US and Mexico were again at the brink of war.
 Wilson decided in January 1917 to quietly withdraw
the Punitive Expedition back to the US.
 This was because of the growing possibility of US
entry into WW1.
 On 3rd March Wilson formally recognized Carranza’s
regime.
Irony
 From 1914 to 1917 Wilson prevented any
revolutionary activity on American soil.
 He also made sure American bankers and
businessmen did not take advantage of a weak
nation.
 The man who invaded Veracruz and dispatched the
Punitive Expedition was, in fact, the chief defender
and guardian of the Mexican Revolution.