Class Notes
1865-1920 Foreign Affairs
See Unit VII parts 1,2,3
For detailed explanations
Imperialism Post 1850
New Markets
 Natural Resources
 Business profits (labor)
 World Power Status
 Spread Democracy
 Was the campaign issue in 1900 after
Spanish-American War
 McKinley v Bryan

Justification for Imperialism
Manifest Destiny
 Social Darwinism
 Mahon’s The Influence of Sea Power upon

History
Midway
 Wake
 Samoa…Pago Pago…Tripartite

Methods of obtaining land

Purchase (Louisiana v Alaska)
– Seward’s Folly

Annexation (Texas v Hawaii)
– Cleveland, McKinley

War (Mex.-Am. v Sp.-Am and treaties)
– Treaty of Paris: Philippines, Puerto Rico,
Guam, Cuba
Philippines the farthest and least
likely to become part of the U.S.
War 1898-1902
 Emilio Aquinaldo
 Taft…1st civilian governor

Jones Act
 July 4, 1946 independence

Cuba
The Teller Amendment…a problem
 Platt Amendment in Cuba’s constitution

– Could not get into impossible debt to other
countries
– Could not lease, sell part of itself to other
countries
– Must accept U.S. intervention
– Must lease or sell harbors to U.S.
Puerto Rico
The Foraker Act
 1901 Downes v Bidwell

By 1917: U.S. Citizenship, no tariff, no
passport required.
 1952: Operation Bootstrap: federal funds
for Puerto Rico

Latin America

1895 Boundary dispute: British Guinea v
Venequela…Gold

Cleveland sent an American Boundary
commission to settle the issue
Pan-American Union
Blaine’s claim to fame
 Sec. of State (Garfield, Arthur)


U.S. a leader in the Western Hemisphere
Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe
Doctrine

When a Latin American country is guilty of
wrongdoing, the U.S. would intervene to
make it right
Dominican Republic
 Haiti
 Nicaragua
 Caused much L.A. resentment

Mexico

During U.S. Civil War Mexico acquired
debt to France

France occupied Mexico (Napoleon III
sent French troops and Maximillian as
emperor

U.S. Monroe Doctrine and troops
U.S. Investments in Mexico
Diaz
 Madero
 Huerta
 Caranza
 Poncho Villa

(Taft)
(Wilson)
(Wilson)
(Wilson)
(Wilson)
Issue with Huerta

He murdered Madero and Wilson would
not be friendly
So..Incident: USS Dolphin and apologies
 Fighting at Tampico Bay


Settled by ABC Powers
Carranza
Snubbed Wilson (U.S. not popular with
Mexican people)
 Poncho Villa …talks with Bryan


British needed Mexican oil but did not
want to offend U.S.

Finally U.S. recognized Carranza
BUT

Trouble with Poncho Villa
Panama Canal

Necessary for the efficiency of the U.S.
Navy
The Oregon in Sp.-Am. War
 Chose Panama for low grade
 Needed locks for water levels
 Took 7 years
 Then U.S. fixated on securing canal

Treaties
1850 Clayton- Bulwar with Brits
 1901 Hay Poncefote with Brits

Deal with Lesseps Co. (French)
 Then Hay-Herran Treaty (with Columbia)


Then Columbians reneged
Panama Revolution and
Independence
The U.S. Nashville and help from Lesseps
 Hay-Bunau-Varilla Treaty with Panama:

– 10 million up front
– 250,000 each year for 99 years
Panama Canal
Much LA resentment re Columbian rights
 British mad as U.S. ships did not have to
pay toll
 Gorgas mosquito problem
 Goethal chief engineer

Black workers
 Vital to the defense of W. Hem.

China
1844 U.S. special trading privileges
 Then Europeans too
 Europeans: Spheres of Influence

– Manchuria: Russia and Japan
– Brits: port cities (Hong Kong)
– French: IndoChina
Open Door Policy

John Hay and Open Door Notes

A radical departure from traditional
(isolationist) U.S. Foreign Policy
Boxer Rebellion 1901
Herbert Hoover
 Reparations

Japan
1854 U.S. sent guns and gifts
 Japan opened ports to U.S.
 Then to other Europeans


Then Menji Restoration
War 1894-95
Japan v China
Japan got Formosa
 Korea gained independence

War Japan v Russia 1904-05
Over Manchuria
 Treaty of Portsmouth (TR)


Japan wanted: Manchuria, Korea, Money,
Sakhalin Island

Japan got Korea and Manchuria (sphere of
influence and ½ of Sakhalin Island
Bad Blood
Anti-American riots in Tokyo
 U.S. Press “Yellow Peril”
 San Francisco School Board

With TR: Gentleman’s Agreement
 With TR: Root-Tahira Agreemen
 Taft: Dollar Diplomacy

Causes WWI

Primary: Nationalism and Imperialism

Secondary: France and revenge, Russia
and warm water port, Arms Race, Balkans
a Powder keg, System of Alliances
System of Alliances

Triple Alliance (or Central Powers)
Germany, Austria-Hungary, Italy
(satellites: Ottoman Empire & Bulgaria)

Triple Entente (or Allied Powers) Britain,
France and Russia (satellite Serbia)
Direct Cause

Austrian heir, Archduke Ferdinand and
wife were touring Sarajevo (recently
annexed into Austro-Hungarian Empire)
was assassinated by a Serbian student,
Gavrillo Princip
Then What Happened?
Austria went after Serbia
 Russia mobilized to protect ally, Serbia
 Germany declared war on Russia and its
ally, France
 German troops marched through neutral
Belgium
 England declared war on Gemany and
Austria-Hungary

Others

Italy, Japan, Ottomans, Bulgaria, etc
U.S. entered late in the war
 Russia will drop out to continue revolution
 Italy dropped out of triple Alliance early
and joined Triple Entente later

WWI and the U.S.
Proclamation of neutrality and violations
 German Uboats and neutrals:

– 1915 The Lusitania
– 1916 The Sussex
England’s blockade awfully close to U.S.
 Scandinavian countries

Belgium

Herbert Hoover and the Committee for the
Relief of Belgium

The Great Humanitarian
Trade = Economic Prosperity

Trade with allies = economic prosperity
1914 $824 million
 1916 $3.2 Billion


Shut off from trade with Central powers
but England and France were essential
Bryan (Sec. of State) Resigned

After Wilson urged Congress to increase
military spending
Peace and Preparedness
 TR “Weasel Words”

Election 1916

Wilson gave an implied promise to stay out of
the war “Peace and Preparedness”
TR: Weasel Words
Vote for Wilson. He kept up out of the war
 Election 1916: (Dem) Wilson 277
(Reps) Hughes 254
One of the smallest margins in history to that point

Wilson’s 14 Points
Points 1-5 Elimination of the general
causes of war
 Points 6-13 Self-determination for nations
 Point 14: League of Nations


Wilson wanted the above to be
incorporated into the treaty ending the
war
Leading the U.S. into War

February 1917 German minister warned that UBoats would sink all ships (neutrals too) in a
broad zone around England without warning

Late February 1917 Zimmerman Cable
Germany to Mexico “If the U.S. entered the
European war and IF Mexico would go to war
with U.S. THEN Mexico would gain lost lands to
the North (SW U.S…Treaty of G.H.)
April 1917

Wilson to Congress:
– Lusitania
– Sussex
– Zimmerman cable

Use the war as a lasting vehicle to world
peace
March 1917
Russian Revolution
 Saved the U.S. embarrassment of alliance
with despot
 Kerensky government was more
republican (Menshvik)
 But civil war in Russia continued
 Oct 1918 Romanov’s killed…Bolshevik
takeover and Russia dropped out

Brits in trouble

Chief service of the U.S. navy: to guard ships
transporting troops
U.S. and Brits: anti-sub mines in North Sea
 Invention of depth charge


German U-Boats DID NOT prevent U.S. from
taking an active part in the war
US Mobilization Awesome
May 1917 Selective Service Act: All men
21-30 subject to the draft…later 18-45
 6 months training
 3 million drafted
 2 million volunteers


Sgt. York: most decorated man in war
(US)
The End of the War
By October 1918 Germany pushed back
to won borders
 By end of Oct, Germany asked for peace
terms (based on 14 Points)
 War ended 11th hour of the 11th day of the
11th month 1918

The War at Home
War funded by: Bonds & taxes
Luxury taxes for the first time
 War cost $10 Billion (1915 federal budget
$1 billion)
 Salaried classes benefitted least
 Women stepped in to fill men’s jobs and
were rewarded later with the vote

Federal Agencies to run the War
War Industries Board
 Fuel Administration
 RR Administration
 War Labor Board
 Food Administration

Controls of Amendment I

1917 Espionage Act severe punishments
to prevent spying and disloyalty
Up to $10,000 fine and 20 years in jail for
aiding the enemy or obstructing recruiting
or the post master
Controls of Amendment 1

1918 Sedition Act could not utter, print, write or
publish anything disloyal, profane, scurrilous or
abusive about the government, constitution or
army and navy uniforms
Also included criticism of YMCA and Red Cross
 Debs got 10 years for anti-war speech
 Goldman The Spirit of ‘76

Other Stuff

Popular Songs: Over There, Pack up Your

Civil Liberty violations: Hyphenated
Americans
Specifically, German-Americans Suffered
Liberty Cabbage, etc
Troubles
Peace Conference at Versailles
Wilson: No Republicans, Not a seasoned
diplomat
 Did not get points 1-13 due to earlier
secret treaties. Did get League of Nations
 England: Lloyd George
 France: Clemenceau
 Italy: Orlando Left early, furious

The Treaty and Problems
Britain and France wanted harsh terms
 U.S. refused reparations

Germany lost territory, colonies, paid
reparations
 Austria-Hungary lost 2/3 of land
 Czechoslovakia (Sudetenland…German)
 Poland Independent and divided Germany

End of the War

At Home: Republicans Isolationist: would not
ratify Treaty of Versailles. Did not want to
belong to the League of Nations (Lodge)

Liberals were disillusioned with the Treaty and
with Wilson

Wilson was arrogant, stubborn and had a stroke
The Human Cost of the War

10 Million lives lost:
– Russia 1,700,000
– France 1,357,000
– Brits 908,000
– Germany 1,800,000
– Austria 1,200,000
– Turkey 325,000
– U.S. 112,000
The Spanish Flu
20,000,000 additional lives 1918-1919
 Pandemic
