Transcript
“New American Diplomacy”
“The Chinese have the instincts of a democracy, and though accustomed to endure great injustice from their fellow-countrymen, it has been noted again and again that while they are thus patient, at the same time they are the most impatient of people when new burdens are place upon them…If there be those who indulge too great an ambition for political power, they cannot be too strongly reminded that the entire structure of foreign influence in China may easily be imperiled by inconsiderate aggressiveness.”
-The New York Times, March 25, 1900
Journal Question #1
What does this writer identify as a potential problem with relations with
China? Do you think that U.S. influence around the world was likely to be well
received? Why or why not?
“American Diplomacy in Asia”The Open Door Policy
Japan Defeats China
• Before President Theodore Roosevelt took office, the focus of U.S. foreign policy had been on China
• In 1894 Japan went to war with China over the control of Korea
• Japan had easily won and signaled that it had grown to become an industrial and military power and that China was weak
Russia Claims Leasehold in China
• The Chinese territory of Manchuria bordered Russia, and a Japanese takeover concerned the Russians
• With the support of France and Germany, Russia forced Japan to return Manchuria to China.
• Then, in 1898, Russia demanded of China that it be allowed to lease, and thus control, Manchuria
Spheres of Influence
• Germany, France, and Britain also insisted that China grant them “leaseholds” in various areas of China
• From its leasehold, each country established an economics sphere of influence, or control
Countries Agree to Open Markets
• The U.S. sought commerce, not conquest or control
• President McKinley supported an Open Door policy, keeping China’s markets open to all countries
• Each of the other powers in China agreed to go along with this policy as long as the others followed suit
“Roosevelt and Taft’s Diplomacy”U.S. Foreign Policy Under Roosevelt
Maintaining Peace in Asia
• In Asia, President Theodore Roosevelt supported the Open Door policy
• His successful efforts to end the war between Japan and Russia (1904-1905) brought him the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906
Roosevelt’s “Big Stick”
• Roosevelt purposefully displayed U.S. power to the world, in part to keep other nations fighting
• He described this policy using a West African saying, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”
The Panama Canal
• Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” policy was perhaps most evident in the Caribbean
• There Roosevelt made a bold- some said unjustifiably aggressive- move, encouraging and militarily supporting Panama’s declaration of independence from Columbia so the U.S. could dig a canal across the Isthmus of Panama
The Roosevelt Corollary
• In the early 1900s, Latin American nations owed huge debts to European banks
• In 1902 Venezuela defaulted on its debts• In response, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy
blockaded Venezuelan ports• Roosevelt declared that the U.S. would intervene in
Latin America when necessary to keep the region stable
• His declaration became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine
Journal Question #2
“U.S. Foreign Policy Under Taft”Taft’s Dollar Diplomacy
Economic Aid
• Under President William Howard Taft, U.S. power was still evident in Latin America, but it tended to take the form of helping Latin America economically rather than protecting the region militarily
• Taft’s policy came to be called “dollar diplomacy”
Military Support
• U.S. banks steadily took over the business of loaning Latin American countries money
• This helped ensure Europe would have no cause to intervene in the region
• In Nicaragua, loans made to help stabilize the government were not enough
• Unable to quell social unrest, the Nicaraguan government called on the U.S., which sent in the Marines to keep the peace
“Woodrow Wilson’s Diplomacy in Mexico”
Moral Diplomacy
• President Woodrow Wilson opposed imperialism and also believed in encouraging democracy
• Wilson hoped to base his foreign policy on moral principles, fashioning a kind of “moral diplomacy”
The Mexican Revolution
• In 1913 General Victoriano Huerta seized power in Mexico from, and murdered, a reformer who seemed to favor democratic rule
• Wilson refused to recognize the new government
U.S. Involvement in Mexico
• In April 1914, an incident in Mexico involving U.S. sailors offered Wilson a chance to overthrow Huerta
• After Congress voted to allow him to use force, Wilson found out about an arms shipment to Veracruz, Mexico
• He sent Marines to shell the city and take it by force
Continued…
• Two years later, violent incursions into the U.S. by the Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa drew another military response
• Wilson sent 6,000 soldiers into Mexico to capture Villa, but they failed to find him
“Moral Imperialism”
• To critics, Wilson’s Mexican policy seemed little different from Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” diplomacy- more like “moral imperialism” than “moral diplomacy”
• Wilson sent Marines into Haiti in 1915 to put down a rebellion
• The next year, he sent troops into the Dominican Republic to preserve order and ended up taking charge of the whole government
A Time for Reflection
Journal Question #3Which is most like U.S. foreign policy today?
Why?
• “Big Stick” Diplomacy• Dollar Diplomacy• Moral Diplomacy
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