Foreign affairs

• Foreign affairs


  Imperialism

  The USA became an imperial power for a variety of reasons.

  Economic - Had surplus goods for export and needed to protect its growing trade and investments abroad. E.g., heavily invested in sugar production in Cuba and Hawaii, and needed naval bases to protect trade routes to Far East. Allied to this was desire to exploit resources of less developed countries - reasoning behind 'dollar diplomacy' and 'open door' policies.
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  Imperialism

  White supremacy - Theory of white supremacy was allied to notion of the 'White Man's Burden' or responsibility of civilised races to bring the benefits of their civilisation. E.g., Pres McKinley argued that the Christianising impulse was his main motivation for annexing the Philippines.
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  Imperialism

  Preclusive imperialism - This suggested USA took colonies to prevent others from doing so - particularly Germany which was seeking an Asian empire, e.g., in Samoa. Samoa itself became divided between the USA and Germany in 1899.
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  Engagement in international affairs

  While USA was ostensibly neutral in disputes between the great powers, it gave covert support to Britain and France; e.g., at the Algericas Conference of 1906 over foreign interests in Morocco. USA also became involved in the Far East and played a leading role in the suppression of the 1900 Boxer rebellion against foreign interests in China.
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  Engagement in international affairs

  Annexation of Hawaii - 1898, was in part due to the various rebellions against US fruit growers who dominated the governance and economy of the islands, which had been going on throughout the 1890s. Pres Cleveland had rejected grower's calls for annexation: McKinley seeing no end to the conflict, was more amenable.
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  The Spanish-American-Cuban War, 1898

  Broke out ostensibly cos USA supported the Cubans in their rebellion against their colonial power, Spain. Sparked by explosion of the USS vessel 'Maine' in Havana, the Cuban capital. This was mainly an excuse:

  • USA had extensive economic interests in Cuba and wanted to expel the Spanish
  • The Yellow Press supported the war, citing the Monroe Doctrine and highlighting alleged atrocities by the Spanish authorities.
  • Cuban exiles campaigned vigorously for US help.
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  The Spanish-American-Cuban War, 1898 2 (impact)

  The war against Spain was quickly won, but had escalated into the Far Eastern Spanish colony of the Philippines whose inhabitants were also involved in the rebellion.
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  The Spanish-American-Cuban War, 1898 3 (impact)

  The Paris Peace Settlement, 1899

  • Cuba granted independence
  • USA acquired former Spanish islands of Guam in the Pacific and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean.
  • USA purchased the Philippines for $20 mil.
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  The Spanish-American-Cuban War, 1898 4 (impact)

  The annexation of the Philippines - purchase was controversial cos it led to a brutal four-year war of subjugation. Was argued the Filipinos were not able to govern themselves, and the USA was morally obliged to raise them to 'civilised' standards. More dubiously, USA was also worried that if they didn't absorb them, another power might.
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  The Panama Canal

  Equally controversial was the building of the Panama Canal to link both sides of the American continent. In 1903 the US gov became involved in an independence struggle by Panamanians against their Columbian overlords before any deal was possible. They gave $10 mil to the new Panamanian gov in return for control of the ten-kilometre Canal Zone. Total cost came to $352 mil and canal wasn't complete until 1914.