International_Involvement

International Involvement University of Phoenix Wills Clervil Week 3 International Involvement The period of time between 1890 and 1905 represented a time of major transformation for the United States. This time set the stage for the World Wars of the next decade. Indeed, the choices made in this period and the attitude of the United States exemplified certain course patterns that changed the very fabric of the republic. Each decade has its contributions to the nature of America. Indeed, American society and government is not made up of a static structure, but of an ever changing tapestry this momentous period in time was largely composed of low-key interventions in foreign affairs – yet the increased appetite for allowable interventionism directly led to involvement in the First World War. The early founding fathers had little interest in involvement in global politics. This continued to be the case through much of the nineteenth century; as America only fought in wars that affected it directly. However, the end of that century marked some departure from such non-interventionism The United States began to see the interest it had in maintaining certain norms even in foreign lands. In addition, the growth of internationalism began to increase with the first hints of the Industrial Revolution and the invention of distance communications devices. The Monroe Doctrine, supported and established by both President James Monroe and John Quincy Adams, called for nonintervention of foreign powers in the Western Hemisphere. This would come into play in the debates of the time. European imperialism was in full swing during this era. The great European powers were empires. The modern idea of the nation-state, where each political unit governs itself based on the consent of the people was not nearly a reality. Rather, frequently shifting boundaries were a norm as colonial powers jockey for prime territories. Some scholars argue that this attitude may have had some part in the United States decisions in the era. Others claim that America's decisions were rather influenced by noble sentiment. Whatever the case, one cannot deny that politicians of the era such as Theodore Roosevelt showed less restraint in principle compared to predecessors. Another factor suggested by the articles involves the state of the nation. After the Civil War, the nation was firmly and irrevocably melded into an entire whole. Following recovery from the war, the empowered federal government is argued to have looked to foreign intervention in a way that would have been previously infeasible. The manifest destiny idea of American expansion applied primarily to the continent. However, that sense of empowerment extended to other areas of thinking. Indeed, the idea of America as a global superpower began during this era. The first major example of this is found during the tenure of pro-military President William McKinley. McKinley's election in 1896 was quickly followed by a decision to declare war on Spain. This represented the first real conflict with a European power after the Civil War. The American involvement with European affairs was off to a blazing start. The conflict originally revolved primarily around Spain's colony of Cuba. Many Cubans were agitating for independence from Spain. American leaders began to sympathize with the revolutionary yearnings of some Cubans. With this in mind, the stage was set for America to achieve ideological and economic benefits from assisting the Cuban revolution. When Spain was accused of destroying the U.S.S. Maine battleship in 1898, McKinley decided to urge Congress to declare war. The resulting conflict proved to be widespread. First, the United States navies began to advance on Spanish-held territories throughout the world. The Philippines proved a primary starting place. This Spanish territory welcomed the Americans as liberators. With the Philippines freed from Spain, the American forces took Cuba. At this point, Spain began to consider peace. However, before the war was concluded, America had also freed Puerto Rico. Thus many colonies were wrested free from European colonial powers, representing an accomplishment of the American administration of the day. This also foreshadowed the continued American focus on intervening in wars in a way that they considered moral. In this case, such morality was based on the alleged liberation of the countries and the superiority of self-governance. Following this war, continued debate ranged over the proper balance between expansionism and isolationism. However, the people of the Philippines decided they did not wish the ostensibly benevolent American leadership. Thus, some conflict occurred between the newly installed American governors of the Philippines and their erstwhile allies who had just previously been agitating against Spain. The American victory led them to require governing territories in far away Asia. Thus, while unremarkable compared to the approaching World War, this period represented a significant shift toward American intervention in foreign affairs. References • http://www.fff.org/freedom/0595c.asp • http://www.introglobalpolitics.com/chap3/review.asp • http://legacy.owensboro.kctcs.edu/mmaltby/his109/foreignpolicy.htm