The Foreign Policies of the
Progressive Presidents (1901-18)
AP US History
Mr. B. Harper
Spring 2014
Theodore Roosevelt
Explain the Roosevelt Corollary.
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European countries were using military force to collect outstanding debts in
Latin America & the Caribbean. (See the Venezuela Crisis 1902-03)
In an effort to minimize this military presence in the “American Sphere”, TR
announced the Roosevelt Corollary in 1904.
This addition to the Monroe Doctrine stated that the US would intervene on
behalf of European countries with outstanding claims in Latin America.
(“Police man of the hemisphere”)
Analyze TR’s role with the Panama Canal.
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The US had been interested in a trans-ishmus canal as early as the 1820s.
The French company that had constructed the Suez Canal attempted a canal
in Panama in the 1880s. They failed because of disease & engineering
challenges.
TR, a disciple of Mahan, had long been an advocate of an American canal.
Once president, his administration approached Colombia for the rights to
continue where the French failed. When negotiations failed, TR fomented a
revolution among the Panamanians. With US recognitions and protection, the
revolution was successful. The resulting treaty to build a canal and control the
canal zone was known as the Hay - Bunau-Varilla Treaty.
Construction began in 1904 and the canal opened in 1914.
“Big Stick” policy.
Because of its aggressive nature, TR’s foreign policy
became known as “Big Stick Policy” and was given to displays of marshal
prowess, and threats of force in diplomatic negotiations.
William Howard Taft
If TR used a “Big Stick”, Taft used a “Juicy Carrot”.
Explain Dollar Diplomacy.
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Dollar Diplomacy encouraged banks & financiers to invest in
foreign enterprises with the hope of expanding US economic
opportunity and bringing stability to a troubled region.
The two primary targets of Dollar Diplomacy were China and
Latin America.
“True stability is best established
not by the military, buy by economic
and social forces…good government is
interwoven with economic prosperity.”
Woodrow Wilson
Is the characterization of Wilson’s
foreign policy as “missionary or moral”
diplomacy appropriate?
Important to remember about Wilson:
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Very religious
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Very intellectual
*These two characteristics made Wilson very certain, arrogant, and
often unwilling to compromise.
Missionary/Moral Diplomacy:
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Wilson sought to apply his moral ideology to foreign policy by pursuing
policies that were legalistic, international, and moral.
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While campaigning almost exclusively on domestic issues, Wilson was
attracted to foreign policy because: he truly believed in the White Man’s
Burden (Americans have a Christian duty to share their superior
civilization with those less fortunate – whether they like it or not.) and
the fact that foreign policy was the exclusive domain of the Executive
Branch and Wilson was all about power. (See quote on last slide.)
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Wilson was committed to stability at home and abroad.
Progressive Imperialism
Wilson personified the idea of
progressive imperialism.
 White man’s burden
 Increased the power & influence
of the president
On the new American colonies:
“They are children and we are
men in the deep matters of
government and justice.”
U.S. Foreign Policy Tradition?
• Wilson argued that the U.S.
could no longer be guided by
Washington’s Farewell Address.
“We are participants, whether
we would or not, in the life of
the world. The interests of all
nations are our own also. We
are partners with the rest.”
The U.S. & World War I
The Road to World War I
• Wilson pledges U.S. neutrality
and insists on neutral rights at
sea.
• U.S. firms & banks supply the
Allies (Britain/France) with
weapons and credit worth
$3.5 billion.
• Germany protests and
occasionally sinks U.S. ships.
• 1916 Campaign – “He kept us
out of war.”
The U.S. and World War I
Wilson’s “Peace without Victory”
• Directed at “the peoples of the world
now at war”
• Any peace “forced on the losers would
be built on sand”
• Wilson’s appeals for reason fell on
deaf ears.
• The French leader Clemenceau bitterly
responded: “Never before has any
political assembly heard so fine a
sermon on what human beings might
be capable of accomplishing if only
they weren’t human.”
The U.S. and World War I
U.S. entry into WWI:
Feb 1917 - Germany resumes
unrestricted submarine warfare.
March 1917 – Britain reveals the
Zimmerman Telegram
April 1917 – US declares war
Wilson’s War:
• U.S. to be an “associated” not an
“allied” power.
• While U.S. to lend military assistance
to the Allies, it was essentially a
political rival. (Wilson’s post-war vision
was very different from the Allies.)
The Russian Revolution & Wilson
Wilson was also a rival of the de
facto government of Russia, after
the October 1917 Bolshevik
Revolution.
• Echoing Wilson, Lenin called for
a peace of “No Annexations, No
Indemnities!”
• Wilson soon after announces
his war aims in his 14 Points
Speech.
Wilson’s 14 Point Plan
The ultimate goal of Wilson’s
plan was to reduce the causes
of war. Examples include:
• Freedom of the seas
• An end to secret treaties
• A reduction of armaments
• Self-determination
• The creation of an international
body empowered to keep the
peace (League of Nations)
The End of the War
Germany signals for an armistice:
• The German home front was
plagued by massive food shortages
& labor strikes.
• The German govt approached the
Wilson Administration with an offer
of an armistice under the 14 Point
Plan.
• While the Allies agreed to end the
war, the treaty they ultimately sign is
very different from Wilson’s 14-Point
Plan.
Wilson encounters realpolitik in Versailles and at home.
What “reality” does Wilson face at Versailles?
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While Wilson hoped to use the new economic prowess of the US (remember the $3.5 billion) as leverage for his 14Point Plan.
Led by France, the Allies are in no mood to be idealistic and are out to cripple Germany. French leader Clemenceau
is quick to point out the huge discrepancies between the French and American casualty rates. (See next slide.)
While Wilson wanted to discuss how to draft a treaty that would reduce the causes of future conflicts, France &
Britain wanted real-world agreements on security & economic recovery (indemnities).
Wilson will ultimately have to compromise most of his 14 Points to ensure support for the League of Nations. His
hope is that the League will later address the other priorities of his plan.
• What “reality” does Wilson face at home?
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Unlike his counterparts at Versailles, Wilson did not have a mandate from the American people. (Recall that the
1918 mid-term elections had returned Republicans to leadership of Congress)
Recall that Wilson had not included any Republicans on the diplomatic team that accompanied him to Europe.
A growing number of law makers have serious reservations about the Treaty – especially the League of Nations
and threat to the traditions established by the Monroe Doctrine.
Opposition in the U.S. Senate
Analyze the Senate opposition
to the Treaty of Versailles.
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Some members of Congress are concerned about the impact
on the Monroe Doctrine and continued US dominance in
Latin America.
Many, including Senate Majority Leader Henry Cabot Lodge
(R, MA), were concerned about Article X of the League of
Nations Covenant and its collective security obligations.
Their concerns focus on:
> the Impact on US sovereignty (If it joins the
League, will the US still control its own foreign
policy? Esp. the power to declare war.)
> the obligations under collective security (Will the
US be drawn into unnecessary wars because of
the treaty? Will the US have to defend colonial
empires?)
Sen. Henry Cabot Lodge (R, MA)
In the end…
All parties – even Senator Lodge – were willing to
compromise. President Wilson was not and took
his message to the American people. After 23
days on a whistle-stop speaking tour, Wilson
suffered a major stroke in Colorado. Buoyed by his
strong-willed wife, Wilson refused to the end to
compromise. The treaty failed in the Senate. It
won’t be until 1921 that the US will sign a separate
treaty with Germany
Perhaps Senator Lodge said it
best in 1925 after Wilson’s death:
“Mr. Wilson in dealing with every
great question thought first of
himself. He may have thought of
the country next, but there was a
long interval…Mr. Wilson was
devoured by the desire for power.”