Final Flashcards
(27 cards)
US chose
internal balancing and developing national power from within
Alexander Hamilton
it is the national interest to develop a policy of self-sufficiency
European ambition was THE threat to national security
Two related policies for self-sufficiency
Continental Expansion (Manifest Destiny) Isolationism (Monroe Doctrine)
Continental Expansion
(Manifest Destiny)
Problems
- expansion is morally ‘right’
- a belief that the US was destined for greatness, blessed by God, and driven to expand until domination of the continent
Problems
- Indian Wars & Genocde
- the issue of slavery in new territories
American leaders faced two choices
- Ally with Britain (Jefferson, Madison)
- free-ride; cultural ties - Unilateralism (J.Q. Adams)
- reliance was weakness; Britain will win the economic war
Monroe Doctrine
3 elements
European reaction
- non-colonization
- anti ethical to liberal democracy
- reject colonization of the region
- allow self-determination - abstain from European politics
- extended a threat to Europeans
- any attempt to impact politics of the hemisphere would be considered “dangerous to our peace and safety”
Reaction
Europe largely ignored the statement but to Americans this was a spinal document, similar to the D.O.C.
Reason for economic expansion
steel and oil
Andrew Carnegie
- law of surplus: run hard and sell cheap
- ‘dumping’ - selling steel below cost
- outbid all competitors
- manipulate European need for steel
“produced more goods, at lower and lower cost, then undersold all competitions
- Triumphant Democracy
- capitalism creates democracy
- avoid colonial empire
Real secret: profits from labor costs and generous working conditions grew the American economy
John D. Rockefeller:
Standard Oil
- profited from protectionist measures
- required expansion into new markets
- using diplomacy to expand into Asia
Summary: the coalition of steel and oil created the first great wealth explosion in the US
Carnegie….Rockefeller…
Carnegie built the machines, Rockefeller fueled them
How to protect the new economic capacity?
Protect sea lanes with a strong Navy
- Carnegie: the builder
- Mahan: the strategist
Carnegie initially against
building ships
BUT
- political appeals
- profit (product cost $175/ton; sold to US gov. $450/ton)
Carnegie saw the need to
protect trade
- in 1880s US had 90 ships ranked 12th in the world
- Nationalism and the creation of the “Great White Fleet”
US Navy had to be present, prepared & superior
Captain Alfred Thayer Mahan
The Influence of Sea Power upon History
- the sea is a great common area that connects nations to nations and promotes trade
All successful great powers had an advantage on the sea
- Necessary to build a Navy
American plan for Asia
“Goods, God & Gunboats”
- economic expansion backed by sea power
- Christian missionaries
“Everyone thus helped would be…a drummer for your goods, and the great church they represent at home would be your advertising agents”
Spanish American War
System
Internation: Multipolarity
- Europeans feared an Anglo-American alliance
Regional: Spanish hegemony
- US was outclassed in almost every category
- Spain - 80-150K troops 40k reserve
- US 28k troops 100k reserve
- Spain - more ships; greater maneuverability
US - fewer but more modern ships; better experience
But with destruction of the Maine there were no battleships the Easter seaboard
Spanish American War
Society
Interest Groups
- business coalition
- humanitarian groups “Cuba Libre”
Public Opinions & the influence of the media
- “with censorship it was reasonable to expect that writers would stoop to any means necessary to obtain news stories”
Spanish American war
Formal Actors
Problem
-Congres & Redfield Proctor’s speech
- McKinley resisted
“ no more backbone than a chocolate eclair”
Problem:
Bad advisors
- gave a space for political entrepreneurs
Spanish American War
IN SUM
System - weak US, stronger Europe
Society - media & business interests
- Formal - Congress, McKinley & his ‘friends’
Explanations for Spanish American War
- popular opinion
McKinley: stalled & used deadlines- but groundswell of popular opinion pressured him into war
- Congress and the media were responsible for the motivation for war
- the public and moral outrage
- but also fear and panic
- but groundswell of popular opinion pressured him into war
- coalition politics
McKinley: stalled & used deadlines- protect business interest
- acted only when it was prudent for business (Perez)
- governmental politics Congress & support for the navy
- military was unprepared
- Henry Cabot Lodge & the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
‘The Trinity’ - Mahan
- the strategist
- granted political cover to
- T. Roosevelt
- war purified the American Spirit
Governmental politics
Lodge provided the moral justification for war, Mahan the military doctrine and strategy and Roosevelt the bureaucratic momentum
Spanish American War
Other takes
- Media: War was good business
- Paradigmatic events: the USS Maine & politics not as usual
Big-Stick Diplomacy
Problem
creation of a Pacific Empire
- uncontrollable optimism, and new territory
- US had an empire
Problem
No idea how to run an empire, and the Europeans had taken notice
Big-Stick Diplomacy
- Annexation of the Philippines
- open rebellion, led by Aguinaldo
- a heavy toll for a naval base - ‘Open door” policy and China
- all states should have access to Chinese markets: a fair field and no favor
- Slav & Saxon…unite against the advance of the Russian Mastadon
- involvement in the Boxer rebellion, sending 5k troops to Asia in defense of open door - Roosevelt Corollary
- ‘big-stick’ diplomacy: use force to pry open world markets & compete with rivals
- American was a ‘benevolent imperialist
