EMERGENCE OF THE

AMERICAS IN GLOBAL
AFFAIRS
1880 - 1929

Civil War to turn of the Century

From Colony to Superpower Gilded Age 18771893

1882 must control an isthmus /canal

Many domestic problems- time of rapid change (railroad,
steam, telegraph,)
Low concern for external threats
Non-entanglement became holy writ
More than ever drawn to far off places
Adventure, opportunity, and commerce
Rush for empire by all countries- Imperialism
Immigration with high birth rate pushes us to second most
populated country by 1900
Killed off most Native Americans
U.S. number one economic growth - growing cities and
markets
Sent agriculture and industrial products across the globe

Civil War to turn of the Century

Roots of American Empire found

in Post-Civil War period
Claims to non-interference
being strictly observed
Missionaries go to far off nations
to Christianize backwards
people

Themes and Questions to think

about

Immigration

Economy

Gilded Age politicians and businessmen thus set out to protect existing foreign markets and find new ones

How did immigrants of ethnic groups change and push United States for foreign policy

Certain of the superiority of their institutions and conscious of their rising power, they increasingly claimed that their rightful place
was at the head of the American nations. They believed they could assist their southern neighbors to be more stable and orderly.
For reasons of both economics and security, they sought to roll back European influence and increase their own. (Herring 290)

Pre- Spanish American War

What was once called the Spanish American War was the pivotal event of a pivotal decade, bringing the large policy to fruition
and marking the United States as a world power (Herring 309)

Do you agree no war in history has accomplished so much in so short time with so little loss?
What were the two sides of the argument over the Philippines?

Was the war something done for Cubans or done to Cubans?

How has the Philippian war bring disillusionment to the nations imperial mission?

Why was isolationno longer possible or desirable?

Good Intentions 1901-1913

How did diplomatic expectations and U.S. infrastructure change with Theodore Roosevelt pushing the presidency to an imperial
state?
In what ways did immigrants play a role in U.S. foreign policy?

How did dollar diplomacy work itself out in Latin America?

Presidents from 1880 to 1929

Arthur 1881 1885

Cleveland 1885 1889
Harrison 1889 1893
Cleveland 1893 1897
McKinley 1897 1901
Teddy Roosevelt 1901 1909
Taft 1909 1913
Woodrow Wilson 1913 - 1922

President Arthur 1881 1885

Crucial first steps in building a modern navy steel

gunboats
Curbed corruption and incompetency within the Navy
Even in 1889, naval coaling stations were limited to
Honolulu, Samoa, and Pichilingue in Lower California
Secretary of State, James G. Blaine
Advocating the construction of a canal across the Isthmus
of Panama
Negotiated a treaty with Nicaragua that ceded a stretch of
land to the United States for construction of the waterway
Congress refused to ratify this treaty
Violated an existing treaty with Great Britain
Each nation pledged not to obtain exclusive control over
any canal built through the Isthmus of Panama

President Cleveland 1885 1889

Cleveland shunned foreign entanglements and imperial

ambitions
Revolutions in both Hawaii and Cuba: chose not to
acknowledge either
Did send ships to Venezuela to compel the British to accept
arbitration - his most controversial foreign policy decision
Principal agenda was to oppose territorial expansion and
entangling alliances
Samoa was another matter altogether. Because the United
States had treaty rights to establish a naval base on the island,
Cleveland reacted strongly when Germany tried to install a
puppet monarch
Hawaii: Cleveland tried to pressure revolutionary government
to hand power back to Queen Liliuokalani Did send troops to
Panama during his Presidency
In Cuba, Cleveland wanted to remain neutral, refusing to
support the insurrection against Spanish rule and urging
instead that Spain adopt reforms that would lead to gradual

President Harrison1889 1893

International affairs engaged Harrison's administration more than any president since
Lincoln. The first Pan-American conference was held in 1889
Established Samoa as an American protectorate with Germany and England as
partners, and tried to annex Hawaii following a revolution (the Senate rejected the
annexation)
Harrison negotiated reciprocal trade agreements that set the pattern for American
trade policy in the years to come.
He convened the first modern Pan-American Conference in October 1889 and also
boldly negotiated the establishment of a protectorate over the Samoan Islands with
Germany and Great Britain
Harrison appointed the nation's leading black leader, Frederick Douglass, minister to
Haiti.
Harrison supported the expansion of the Navy, begun by President Chester Arthur, into
a world-class fleet of seven armored ships
He failed to secure a coaling station in Haiti
Could not convince Congress to guarantee private company trying to build a canal in
Nicaragua, nor did he achieve the annexation of Hawaii
Legacy: launched the nation on the road to empire, inspired Theodore Roosevelt's
"Big Stick" diplomacy, vigorous trade agenda, negotiating substantial reciprocal trade
agreements with key American trading markets -- novel actions that set the pattern for
American trade policy in the twentieth century

President McKinley1897 1901

McKinley's Open Door policy to China mandating that trade with the Chinese be open
to all western nations equally
The new century would be the first in U.S. history in which no frontier existed for
them to conquer
New frontiers were integral to national greatness
No modern nation could be a great nation without a powerful navy, a superior
merchant fleet, and overseas colonies
Fears of overseas expansion: too costly, non-white peoples into the American nation,
deviate from the traditional isolationist stance of the nation's foreign policy, an
economic threat
China emerged as a major foreign policy concern :, McKinley authorized Secretary of
State John Hay to issue an "Open Door" note on China
All commercial nations on an equal footing in China Declared U.S. support for a noncolonized and independent China One of the most important policy statements ever
issued by the U.S. State Department
In June 1900, a group of Chinese nationalists who objected to foreign intrusions in
their country massacred numerous western missionaries and Chinese converts to
Christianity Boxer Rising
Also laid siege to the foreign community of diplomats in Peking
Without seeking congressional approval sent gunboats to assist a combined
expeditionary force
China was forced to pay an indemnity in excess of $300 million, $25 million of which
went to the United States

President Roosevelt1901 1909

America should be strong and ready to defend its interests around

the world
Latin America consumed a fair amount of Roosevelt's time and
energy during his first term as President. Venezuela became a focus
of his attention in 1902 when Germany and Britain sent ships to
blockade that country's coastline.
Roosevelt felt aggrieved by their actions and demanded that they
agree to arbitration to resolve the dispute
Dominican Republic: European investors appealed to their
governments to collect money from a debt-ridden nation Latin
American nation
Dominican government appealed to the United States, Roosevelt
ordered an American collector to assume control of the customs
houses and collect duties to avoid possible European military action
Roosevelt formulated what became known as the Roosevelt
Corollary - stated that the United States would not accept European
intervention in the Americas: United States would intervene in any
Latin American country that manifested serious economic problems

President Taft 1909 1913

Asserts U.S. influence in foreign lands through investment and

trade
Did not shy away from displaying American military might to
protect U.S. business interests
When revolution threatened in Honduras and Nicaragua, Taft
dispatched troops to safeguard U.S. citizens and property
More committed to the expansion of U.S. foreign trade than
was Roosevelt. Encourages U.S. investments in the Americas, and
the Far East
U.S. military was a tool of economic diplomacy. He invited
U.S. banks to rescue debt-ridden Honduras with loans and grants,
and he sent 2,700 U.S. marines to stabilize Nicaragua's
conservative, pro-U.S. regime when rebels threatened to
overthrow its government
Seeking commercial advantages in Central America aggravated
the existing ill will that had been generated by Roosevelt's
military interventions in Panama and Santa Domingo

President Wilson 1913 - 1922

Woodrow Wilson's foreign policy was based on an altruistic yearning to impart the
benefits of constitutional democracy on other nations. To his detractors, his
approach was seen as condescending and nave
Wanted to strike a new note in international affairs
Wanted to condemn imperialism and endorse democracy and peace
According to this policy, the US would only lend a helping hand to those Latin
American nations which had a democratic government and supported the
interests of the US. The idea behind this was to resort to economic pressure to
influence and control the other nations. The US being a major player in the world
economy, it was difficult for the other nations to maintain a stable economy of
their won without the SU support. Wilson banked on this very fact and tried to
force these nations into submission with his moral diplomacy
Wilson set out to raise the moral tone of American foreign policy by denouncing
dollar diplomacy
To seek special economic concessions in Latin America was "unfair" and
"degrading." The United States would deal with Latin American nations "upon
terms of equality and honor."
Woodrow Wilson and his secretary of state, William Jennings Bryan, came into
office with little experience in foreign relations but with a determination to base
their policy on moral principles rather than the selfish materialism that they
believed had animated their predecessors' programs
He also permitted Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan to negotiate
conciliation treaties with 21 nations. The distinctive feature of these agreements

Wilson Cont

Mexico
Refused to recognize General Huerta who had seized power illegally
"I will not recognize a government of butchers," he said. This was unconventional, since nations do not ordinarily
consider the means by which a foreign regime has come to power before deciding to establish diplomatic relations.
Wilson refused to recognize General Victoriano Huerta, Wilson demanded that Huerta hold free elections
His stance encouraged anti-Huerta forces in northern Mexico led by Venustiano Carranza
German merchantman laden with munitions was expected at Veracruz, Wilson ordered the city occupied to prevent
the weapons from reaching the Huertistas
Mexican officials arrested a few American sailors, which pushed Wilson to order the U.S. Navy to occupy the port
city of Veracruz
This weakened Huerta's control, and he abandoned power to Carranza, whom Wilson immediately recognized as the
de facto president of Mexico
Pancho Villa moved to provoke a war between the Carranza government and the United States by stopping a train in
northern Mexico and killed 16 American passengers in cold blood. Then he crossed into New Mexico and burned the
town of Columbus, killing 19
Wilson, without securing permission from Carranza, sent an expedition of 7,000 U.S. soldiers commanded by
General John "Black Jack" Pershing into Mexico in pursuit of Villa
Alarmed by the danger of war, Wilson reaffirmed his commitment to Mexican self-determination and agreed to
discuss methods of securing the border area with the Mexican government
Early in 1917 Wilson withdrew all U.S. forces from Mexico
Other nations
In 1916, Wilson practiced an old-fashioned form of imperialism by buying the Virgin Islands from their colonial
master, Denmark, for $25 million
Congress promised the residents of the Philippine Islands independence
Puerto Rico achieved territorial status, and its residents became U.S. citizens
Responded to revolution in Haiti by sending in American marines to restore order, and he did the same in the
Dominican Republic in 1916
Because of the strategic importance of the Panama Canal, he was unwilling to tolerate "unrest" anywhere in the
Caribbean

Gunboat Diplomacy

In international politics, gunboat diplomacy -the

pursuit of foreign policy objectives with the aid of
military power.
Definitive Force: the use of gunboat diplomacy to
create or remove a fait accompli . Purposeful
Force: application of naval force to change the
policy or character of the target government or
group
Catalytic Force: a mechanism designed to buy a
breathing space or present policy makers with an
increased range of options
Expressive Force: use of navies to send a political
message
Notable examples:

U.S. Expansion 19th

century
Not much interest in foreign affairs (very

isolationist) Limited desire to compete with

Europe
Social Darwinism will encourage expansionwhite Americans are indeed the fittest(?)
Rudyard Kipling-take up the White Mans
Burden - duty to civilize and Christianize the
backward peoples of the world
Alfred Thayer Mayan-expand the merchant
fleet and the navy-create new markets and
make a profit
Those against expansion-U.S. a vast countryplenty to do here--- people opposed imperialism:
empire building, expanding the nations authority

Four themes of diplomacy

The most obvious theme is the land and
commercial expansion that drove the nation
outward between 1750 and the 1940s.
Second theme is the steady centralization of
power at home, especially in the executive
branch of government after 1890. Foreign
policies that Americans have desired since the
nineteenth century are most effective carried out
by a strong presidency.
Third, isolationism, maintaining a maximum
amount of freedom of action
Fourth, importance of the transitional 1850 to
1914 era, a time when Americans attitudes
underwent change and ushered in modern U.S.
foreign policy

Evolution of Diplomacy

Monroe Doctrine of 1823

Faced with threats of foreign intervention from

several European powers in the western hemisphere
Monroe came up with the following policy
1. The W. hemisphere was closed to further European

colonization
2. U.S. would not interfere with the existing conflicts of
Europeans
3. The U.S. would not interfere in the internal affairs of
any Europeans
4. Any attempt by the European powers to intervene in
the W. hemisphere would be regarded as dangerous
to our peace and safety.

Turning Point: The McKinley Years

(1896-1900)

Never had a newly independent nation risen so far

so fast as did the United States between 1776-1900
After the triumph over Spain in 1898 brought the
U.S. new holdings in the Caribbean and the western
Pacific
McKinley won the 1896 election and intended to
control foreign policy himself
In so doing, became the first modern chief
executive, expanding the Constitutions commander
in chief powers, setting the precedent for the
imperial presidency of the 1960s and 1970s
Built a political coalition so powerful that only one
Democratic presidential nominee would be elected
between 1896 to 1932.

Yellow Journalism fans the flames of

war
Technological breakthroughs in making paper
and setting type had made mass distribution
of papers easy
William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer
sought readers through sensational front
page stories, and nothing was more
sensational than the events in Cuba, unless
of course it was a war with Spain
McKinley was not moved by the press and
feared war would drag the U.S. back into the
economic crises it was finally emerging from
in 1897

McKinley, moreover, opposed war because it

could lead to demands for annexing Cuba,
which would raise constitutional problems
Can the constitution safely stretch across water to
take in new states without tearing apart?
Bringing Cuba in to the Union would also
incorporate a multiracial society at a time when
whites were already having problems dealing with
black Americans and millions of newly arrived
immigrants

McKinley pressed Spain to grant reforms and

Madrid began to do so, but McKinley
criticized it as too little too late

A War Emerges

Spain lost control, in late 1897, riots erupted

in Havana
McKinley moved a warship, the Maine, into
Havana Harbor to protect U.S. citizens and
property
Six days later, on February 15, an explosion
shook the Maine, settling into the muck of
the Harbor, taking more than 250 U.S.
sailors with it
Yellow journalist, citizens, and congressmen
would scream for war

The Second Crises

Rebels in the Philippines had begun war

against Spanish rule
The islands could become a key military base
from which to protect U.S. interests in Asia
McKinley and Assistant Secretary of the Navy
Theodore Roosevelt closely watched these
islands
Roosevelt sent his Pacific fleet to attack the
islands in case of war with Spain
Germany and Japan were grabbing at Asian
territory which forced the Presidents hand to
begin the quest for Asian Markets

McKinley carefully prepared his policy to deal

with the Cuban and Asian crises at once.
After the Maine, he moved rapidly to prepare the
country for war
Between March 20 and 28, the President sent a
series of demands to Spain

Pay reparations for the Maine, declare a truce, and

negotiate for Cuban independence through U.S.
meditation

Spain did all of them, but Cuban independence,

no Madrid government could do this and remain
in power
April 11, sent a message to Congress asking for
war on grounds that the struggle in Cuba
threatened lives, U.S. property, and tranquility in
the U.S.

The President did not want war

He did want results that only war could
bring
Protecting property in Cuba
Stopping the revolution before it turned towards
U.S.
Restore confidence in U.S. Business community,
giving himself a free hand to deal with the
Philippines crisis

For these reasons, McKinley took the

country into war in April 1898

A Splendid Little War

Congress included in its war resolution the Teller

Amendment which declared that the U.S. was not entering
into war to conquer territory.
McKinley was not interested in annexing Cuba, but did
want Hawaii

Dewey in the Philippines sent word that he had just taken

the Philippines, two days later McKinley got the senate and
house to annex Hawaii

Vital bases for U.S. ships heading toward the Philippines, and
when Japan sent warships to the Hawaiian islands he ordered U.S.
ships to prepare for action
Could not get senate vote to annex Hawaii

The islands then fit within a bigger plan developing in foreign

policy

By early August, Hawaii was a territory, Americans had

won their easiest contest yet and had become a power in
the western Pacific

This led the U.S. to believe that Cuba could

be taken by sea and built the navy for
action, not the army
The main U.S fleet got ready to fight the
Spanish fleet sailing across the Atlantic to
Cuba
An important ship, the Oregon, arrived after
a 68 day voyage around Cape Horn

Made Americans understand the need for a canal

across Central America

U.S. fleet quickly cut off four vessels in

Santiago Harbor, trying to flee 12 U.S.
vessels destroyed the entire Spanish fleet at
the cost of 1 American life

Gave war a good name, easy and cost free

Back to the Philippines

McKinley decided to annex the Philippines Islands

Filipinos could not run their own country
Revolutionaries were divided and one radical faction
threatened property
Civil War would allow our commercial rivals in the Orient to
seize the islands for themselves
Protect the naval base at Manila

Sent U.S. troops before Dewey had won

On the evening before the vote for annexation
Filipinos attacked U.S. soldiers

The revolt against U.S. control had begun

They had originally welcomed the U.S. that defeated

Spain, then turned to hostility when they found out
U.S. intended to stay
War erupted and lasted for another 3 years

The United States, Cuba, and the Platt Amendment,

1901

The Platt Amendment, an amendment to a U.S. army

appropriations bill, established the terms under which the United
States would end its military occupation of Cuba (which had
begun in 1898 during the Spanish-American War ) and leave the
government and control of the island of Cuba to its people.
The Platt Amendments conditions:
Prohibited the Cuban Government from entering into any international

treaty that would compromise Cuban independence or allow foreign

powers to use the island for military purposes.
The United States also reserved the right to intervene in Cuban affairs
in order to defend Cuban independence
Other conditions of the Amendment demanded that the Cuban
Government agree to sell or lease territory for coaling and naval
stations to the United States. (This clause ultimately led to the
perpetual lease by the United States of Guantnamo Bay.)
Finally, the amendment required the Cuban Government to conclude a
treaty with the United States that would make the Platt amendment
legally binding, and the United States pressured the Cubans to
incorporate the terms of the Platt Amendment in the Cuban
constitution.

Theodore Roosevelt and Twentieth Century U.S.

Foreign Policy

TR personally exemplified central themes of post1890 foreign policy

Willingness to use force to obtain order
An emphasis on a special U.S. responsibility to guarantee
stability in Latin America
Belief that Anglo Saxon (a person of European origin fitting a certain socioeconomic and/or ethnic profile.) values and successes gave
Americans a right to conduct such policy
Americans wanted no more land, they wanted economic
markets abroad

Believed that great leadership could use this

economic power to prevent disorder and revolution

American goods could create happier, more stable

societies in the Caribbean and C. America

This became known as $dollar diplomacy$

TR had inherited a position whose powers had

already multiplied during the post-1860 era
Believed it was his duty to do anything that the
needs of the Nation demanded unless such action
was forbidden by the Constitution of the laws
The more Americans supported a vigorous foreign
policy, the more they were going to get a vigorous
president
A young Woodrow Wilson said the office will be as big and
as influential as the man who occupies it.
TR believed that only the President could conduct foreign
policy b/c congress is too large and unwieldy
He even used his power as commander in chief to dispatch
troops as he saw fit in Latin America

Thus was born the 20th century imperial Presidency

Roosevelt colorfully demonstrated that an aggressive

foreign policy created a strong President and vice versa

TR knew what he wanted to do with his new

powers: U.S. controlled isthmus canal in
Central America

First he had to solve some other foreign issues:

A boundary dispute between Alaska and Canada
Agree to have 6 impartial jurists arbitrate the dispute
He appointed 3 non impartial jurists
Canada appointed 2
And England 1, who promptly voted for the Americans
and handed Roosevelt the land
For not the 1st or the last time, Canadian interest

were sacrificed for the sake of U.S.-British friendship

Signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty

Agreement nullified the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of

1850 and gave the United States the right to create

and control a canal across Central America

A French company already was building in Panama

(a province of Columbia), we offered $10 million
plus $250,000 annually for the six mile zone
Columbia legislature rejected it and demanded
more money
TR spread the word he would not be displeased to
see Panama revolt from Columbia
Needing little encouragement and with help from
Washington Panamanians revolted in November 1903.
U.S. warships prevented Columbia troops from landing
and two days later Roosevelt recognized the new nation
Signed a treaty giving Panama $10 million plus $250,000
a year for a ten mile strip that cut the country in half
U.S. also fully guaranteed Panamas independence

TR was determined to build a canal, most

Americans overwhelmingly approved his actions

Roosevelt Corollary

TR understood the importance of and how it

needed to be enforced, Monroe Doctrine
Danger to the doctrine came not from
European powers anymore, but frequent
revolutions in the smaller Caribbean and
Central American nations
In 02-03 Germans, French, and British used
force to collect debts from Venezuela
TR could not tolerate major European intervention
In the region, but if he opposed it, the Europeans
would demand that he make the Latin Americans
behave properly
From this he outlined his corollary to the doctrine

President Theodore Roosevelt's assertive approach to Latin America and

the Caribbean has often been characterized as the "Big Stick," and his
policy came to be known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the
Monroe Doctrine.
Although the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 was essentially passive (it asked
that Europeans not increase their influence or recognize any part of the
Western Hemisphere), by the 20th century a more confident United States
was willing to take on the role of regional policeman.
In the early 1900s Roosevelt grew concerned that a crisis
betweenVenezuela and its creditors could spark an invasion of that
nation by European powers.
The Roosevelt Corollary of December 1904 stated that the United States
would intervene as a last resort to ensure that other nations in the
Western Hemisphere fulfilled their obligations to international creditors,
and did not violate the rights of the United States or invite "foreign
aggression to the detriment of the entire body of American nations."
As the corollary worked out in practice, the United States increasingly
used military force to restore internal stability to nations in the region.
Roosevelt declared that the United States might "exercise international
police power in 'flagrant cases of such wrongdoing or impotence.'"
Over the long term the corollary had little to do with relations
between the Western Hemisphere and Europe, but it did serve as
justification for U.S. intervention in Cuba, Nicaragua, Haiti, and
the Dominican Republic.

Hawaii, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Panama

had all been brought within the American orbit
within six years
Roosevelts corollary anticipated U.S. policy toward
Latin America for the rest of the twentieth century.
Between 1898 and 1920, U.S. troops entered Latin
America countries no fewer than 20 times
The corollary opened a new era in hemispheric
relations
In 1911, the Monroe Doctrine was expanded even
more with the Lodge Corollary

Declared U.S. opposition to the sale of any strategic area

to a non-hemispheric company that might be an agent
for a foreign government

The Monroe Doctrine resembled U.S. industry and

Presidential powers: it grew larger all the time

Taft and Dollar Diplomacy

Believed in order in Latin America and

believed enough money (dollar diplomacy)
could do this
Thought more constructive foreign affairs
could be achieved by using the nations
rapidly growing capital resources and
downplaying Roosevelt's emphasis on
military force
Dollar diplomacy could create orderly
societies by helping develop the
unindustrialized nations and happily make a
nice profit for American investors

Dollar Diplomacy, 1909-1913

From1909 to 1913, President William Howard Taft

followed a foreign policy characterized as "dollar
diplomacy." Taft shared the view that the goal of
diplomacy was to create stability and order abroad
that would best promote American commercial
interests. The goal of diplomacy is to improve
financial opportunities, but also to use private capital
to further U.S. interests overseas.
"Dollar diplomacy" was evident in extensive U.S.
interventions in the Caribbean and Central America,
especially in measures undertaken to safeguard
American financial interests in the region.
In spite of successes,"dollar diplomacy" failed to
counteract economic instability and the tide of
revolution in places like Mexico, the Dominican
Republic, Nicaragua, and China.

Dollar Diplomacy in Latin

America

U.S. had reached a point where it both needed Latin

American markets and possessed the excess capital
to develop in the hemisphere

The south had the raw materials and the north the
manufacturers

Railroad builder from Brooklyn built a major rail

system in Costa Rica and then developed banana
plantations so that the trains would have cargo
Thus began the United Fruit Company, or the octopus
By WWI they owned the banana market, the rail system,
shipping, banking, and governments in Costa Rica and
Honduras

U.S. bankers were acquiring Nicaraguan banks and

railroads in return for loans that kept the government
afloat

Dollar Diplomacy in
Canada
Taft and Wilfred Laurier signed a U.S.Canadian tariff agreement
Tafts view: Deal could integrate Canada into a
vast hemispheric industrial complex controlled by
the United States
Aimed at changing trade to north and south rather
than between Canada and Britain

Careless U.S. politicians started talking about

the annexation of Canada through this

Infuriated and frightened Canadian

Conservatives killed the agreement

The Wonderful World of Woodrow

Wilson

Wilsonian became a term to describe

later policies that emphasized
internationalism and moralism and that
were dedicated to extending democracy
Looked back upon as the chief executive
who had the largest vision of the nations
future and who had first confronted
challenges that continued to plague them
Wilson became the greatest military
interventionist in U.S. history

Wilson and Mexico

Francisco Madero overthrew the 34 year old

dictatorship of Porfirio Diaz

U.S. interests were not pleased; under Diaz U.S.

investments were at $2billion, owned 43% of property,
10% more than Mexicans themselves owned

A number of armed groups tried to grab power and

captured Madero, and Victoriano Huerta took control
Many countries recognized Huertas government,
but Wilson refused, objecting to his use of force to
gain power
President began supporting Huertas enemies
especially Venustiano Carranza
To undermine Wilson, Huerta held a free election
supported by England, which he handily won

April of 1914 Huerta arrested 7 U.S. sailors on

shore leave for wondering into a forbidden area
Wilson went to Congress for military force
While congress stalled, Wilson learned that a
German ship was going to unload arms for Huerta
Wilson ordered ships to occupy the port and firing
broke out killing 19 Americans and 300 Mexicans
Huerta was removed and Carranza assumed
power
Carranza, refused to work with Wilson, so
Wilson then aided anti-Carranza forces like Pancho Villa
Carranza announced Mexicos claim to all of its subsoil
mineral rights, which threatened U.S. oil companies

Because of this, Carranza destroying Villas

forces, and WWI, Wilson reluctantly
recognized Carranzas government in late
1915
Villa responded by terrorizing AZ and NM,
killing 17 Americans, and 18 in Mexico itself
Carranza reluctantly allowed U.S. troops to
track down the killers
6000 men led by John J. Pershing never captured
Villa but did clash with Carranzas troops
Because of the U.S. entrance into WWI Wilson
began to come to terms with Carranza

Wilson, C. America, & the

Caribbean
Wilson declared he wanted orderly processes in Latin
America as well as stability in the markets
Already had troops in Nicaragua because of U.S.
investments under Taft; owned 51% of banks and
railways

U.S. now loaned a bankrupt government another million for the

rest of the banks and railways

Next ordered Marines to Haiti because of internal

rebellion and sticking to the Monroe Doctrine

Treaty was signed giving U.S. control over the countrys foreign
affairs, financial affairs, and the right to intervene when U.S.
thought it was necessary
Marines stayed for another 19 years

Disorder in Dominican Republic led to U.S. sponsored

elections, but would not allow U.S. to oversee finances

Wilson ordered in Marines, U.S. investors took over large sugar

and real-estate holdings

United States in WWI

1914-1918

Wilsons goal was to remain neutral in fact as well

as in name
Germans were exercising submarine warfare
May 7, 1915 sunk the British Lusitania and killed 128
Americans
U.S. anti-German opinion grew hot; marked a turning point

Wilson had to decide if banks should grant credits

and loans to both sides
Wilson quietly allowed loans to be floated, our foreign
commerce is just as essential to our prosperity as our
domestic commerce
Allies would borrow 2.5 bill in the next two years
This decision turned the U.S. from the worlds largest
debtor to the worlds biggest creditor, making it the worlds
economic superpower of the twentieth century

War aims and stakes for victory were rising

1915 Wilson started his preparedness campaign
Train males for possible combat
Showed countries he meant business and appease
growing anti-German sentiment
Would have a strong base to mediate an end to the
conflict
Military leverage against both sides at the end of the war

March of 1916 French liner the Sussex was sunk

injuring several Americans drawing U.S. closer to
war
Realized he would have to join the war in order to
attend the peace conference to push his long
range ideals

Open market places, competition, and minimum of

government involvement, and a league of nations

Aimed to release government restraints so that

U.S. banks could rapidly set up overseas
operations

Webb-Pomerene Act: freed corporations from antitrust

laws, thus allowing them to combine legally to conquer
foreign markets
Edge Act: removed government restraints so that U.S.
banks could rapidly set up overseas operations
Sponsored bill to enlarge navy

January of 1917 Germany launched an all out sub

warfare

March 1st Britain intercepted the Zimmerman telegram

to Mexico from Germany, asking them to ally for U.S.
property back after the war
March 18th three U.S. ships were torpedoed to the
bottom of the Atlantic
April 6th war resolution passed in congress

Wilson had learned that in such a conflict,

the United States could no longer be both
neutral and prosperous. Nor could it be
neutral and hope to have a decisive voice in
constructing the postwar peace
If the war is too strong for you to prevent,
how is it going to be weak enough for you to
control and mold to your liberal purposes?

Anti war voice of Randolph Bourne

America could no longer be neutral and

have the freedom to sell anywhere it
pleased

Principles Wilson wanted after the war:(part of his 14 points)

1.

Open covenants of peace, openly arrived at, after which there shall be
no private international understandings of any kind but diplomacy shall
proceed always frankly and in the public view.
A. No secret treaties

2.
3.

Absolute freedom of navigation upon the seas, alike in peace and in

war.
The removal, so far as possible, of all economic barriers and the
establishment of equality of trade conditions among all the nations
A. Worldwide open door for trade

4.
5.

6.

14.

National armaments will be reduced to the lowest point consistent

with domestic safety.
impartial adjustment of all colonial claims, interests of the
populations concerned must have equal weight with the equitable
claims of the government whose title is to be determined.
The evacuation of all Russian territory, a sincere welcome into the
society of free nations under institutions of her own choosing; and,
more than a welcome, assistance also of every kind that she may need
and may herself desire. The treatment accorded Russia by her sister
nations in the months to come will be the acid test of their good will.
A general associations of nations must be formed under specific
covenants for the purpose of affording mutual guarantees of political
independence and territorial integrity to great and small states alike.

Paris Peace talks started January of

1919 mainly by the big three, Wilson,
Lloyd George, and Georges Clemenceau
Wilson believed that the treaty may have
issues, but a properly created league of nations
could correct these over time

Drew up 26 articles for his league of nations

U.S. congress accepted the treaty but did not

accept the League
Feared being drawn in to defend the interests of such
colonial powers as Britain and France
Feared the league would mean an increase in
contacts with the poison infected areas of the world

1921 U.S. signed separate peace treaties with

Germany and Austria

Warren G. Harding

Harding was voted in to office in 1921

Harding was bequeathed the
problems of containing the Soviet
Union and a world threatened with
revolution
perfect nonsense to assume that U.S.
membership in the league could have
prevented the horrors of the 1930s

Canada and the Great

War

With the eruption of war

Patriotic fever within English Canada

Flocked to recruiting stations, got involved with

war effort at home, determined to contribute to

British Empires battle in Europe

French Canada felt removed from Britains plight

Little attachment to the imperial mother country
Still enraged that Ontario banned French as a

language of instruction in its schools (bill 17)

400,000 volunteered for service, fewer than 1 in

20 were French and 70% were recent
immigrants from England

Canada and the Great

War

Prime Minister Robert Borden

Made two promises that he would struggle

upholding
He promised Britain that Canada would uphold a
military force overseas of 500,000 men
He also promised his people back home that
there would be no obligatory military service
known as conscription
Dead and wounded numbers mounted and jobs
became plentiful causing voluntary enlistment
to drop
This forced Borden to introduce three Acts

Canada and the Great

War

With an election coming up soon and knowing

that possible conscription would lose him votes
he passed 2 of the 3 acts:
Military Voters Act: extended vote to overseas
soldiers, also women nurses
Wartime Elections Act: women who had close male
relatives serving overseas were granted the right to
vote

With victory in the 1917 election, Borden passed

the Military Service Act in January of 1918.
It caused 400,000 men to be liable for military service
In the French city of Quebec there was outrage,
protests, and marches

Canada and the Great

War

Only about 125,000 men were ever conscripted

and only 25,000 of them were ever sent to the
front
Fortunately for Borden the war ended within a
few months
This issue left the people distrustful and divided
over their government
Conservatives were virtually shut out of Quebec
and the west for the next 50 years
Consequently, the military benefits of
conscription were slight, while the political
consequences were great

Treaty of Versailles 1919

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the

peace treaties at the end of WWI, ending
the state of war between Germany and the
Allied Powers. It was signed on June 28,
1919, exactly five years after the start of
the war.
Although the armistice signed on
November 11, 1918 ended the actual
fighting, it took six months of negotiations
at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude
the peace treaty.

Versailles Treaty

The main terms of the Versailles Treaty were:

(1) the surrender of all German colonies as League of Nations mandates;
(2) the return of Alsace-Lorraine to France;
(7) occupation and special status for the Saar under French control; (8)
demilitarization and a fifteen-year occupation of the Rhineland;
(9) German reparations of 6,600 million;
(10) a ban on the union of Germany and Austria;
(11) an acceptance of Germany's guilt in causing the war;
(11) provision for the trial of the former Kaiser and other war leaders;
(12) limitation of Germany's army to 100,000 men with no conscription, no
tanks, no heavy artillery, no poison-gas supplies, no aircraft and no airships;
(13) the limitation of the German Navy to vessels under 100,000 tons, with no
submarines;
Germany signed the Versailles Treaty under protest. The USA Congress refused
to ratify the treaty. Many people in France and Britain were angry that there was
no trial of the Kaiser or the other war leaders.

Latin America and World War I

Three major factors due to WWI in Latin America:

Growth of U.S. economic dominance in the region and the
changing character of world economy
The beginnings of mass politics
The spread of nationalism

The consequence of this event was that all American

nations were thrown into a condition of acute financial
and commercial disturbance
Harsh reminder of L.A. of their vulnerable position within
this European-dominated framework
Trade with the U.S. which was growing before the war,
received a tremendous boost during the conflict
Also an increased flow of capital from the U.S. this being
particularly important in Chile and Peru, where the
mining sectors came to be almost completely controlled
by large US corporations

The greater economic role of the U.S. in

South America was one aspect of her rise to
the leading position within the international
economy in the postwar period
The impact of the war made nationalism
very much more prominent and broadened
its appeal
Economic and cultural nationalism that developed
during the war and in the 1920s represented the
growing disenchantment with the European social
model so idealized by the Latin American elite
before 1914 and the turning instead to a
celebration of local culture and traditions
With the advanced nations at each others
throats it became difficult to sustain the idea that
Europe represented a higher form of civilization

The war tarnished the European image of progress

and civilization obliging a turning toward America
The war did, however, stimulate the formation of a
more genuine economic critique of the countrys
dependent economic position
War seems only to have confirmed the views of
leading Chilean critics that a greater degree of
economic independence was necessary
These reactions were all fueled by two great
revolutions of the time, Mexican and Russian
Russian demonstrated the possibilities of a proletariat
revolution and gave great encouragement to the embattled
working class
Mexican, offered not only a symbol of national liberation, but
also made heroes of the Indian and Mestizo masses, offering
an American alternative to the discredited European model

In many respects the war marked a major

economic, political, social, and cultural watershed
for Latin America
Peru

1914 coup marked a long time alignment of the military

with the oligarchy, ending two decades of civilian rule
War had a roller coaster effect on the Peruvian
economy
Export markets were temporarily cut off provoking

recession
When trade overseas was restored, the stimulating
demand on Peruvian products caused inflation
Growth rates of workers in sugar, cotton, and copper
industries accompanied with anarchist ideas made the
labor movement that much more militant

Mex. and Russ. rev. spread radical new doctrines here

too, rediscovering Incan past