Question

What were the primary reasons for American intervention in foreign affairs in the

late-19th and early-20'century?

Answer 1

Economic rivalry between industrialized nations.

Political and military rivalry, including the development of a powerful navy.

A conviction that individuals of Anglo-Saxon heritage are superior in terms of race and culture.

Step-by-step explanation:

Once practicing isolationism, America began aiming for more practices that eventually shifted to the birth of imperialism within the nation.

What is isolationism and imperialism?

Isolationism is the policy or doctrine of isolating one's country from the affairs of other nations by declining to enter into alliances, foreign economic commitments, international agreements, etc., seeking to devote the entire efforts of one's country to its own advancement and remain at peace by avoiding foreign entanglements and responsibilities.

Imperialism is the policy of extending the rule or authority of an empire or nation over foreign countries, or of acquiring and holding colonies and dependencies.

How did late-nineteenth-century imperialism transform the United States?

In the height of the last European feeding frenzy, which had partitioned Africa in 1884 and was about to do the same in China in 1900, seizing the Philippines was a momentary breach in the American continentalist concept of not acquiring land on other continents. Spain was viewed as weak and in risk of ceding territory to other colonial powers, while the US had already strengthened its fleet, resisted German incursions into the Pacific and South America, and was beginning to worry about Japan as well. Spain really sold Micronesia outside of Guam, her last non-African territory, to Germany right away. Japan then took control of it during World War I.

The Japanese triumph over Russia in 1905 quickly put an end to European invincibility, and Europe's plunge into conflict highlighted the demise of European imperialism as an active danger in the Pacific. Therefore, the Jones Act of 1915 set the foundation for Philippine independence, while the establishment of the Commonwealth required two additional decades, mostly due to debates over tariff preferences.

A powerful anti-imperialist movement did emerge in the US as a result of the brutal hypocrisy of the Philippine War, with personalities like Mark Twain, who had previously supported an aggressive US foreign policy, coming out in opposition. This paved the way for later critiques of the extensive anti-Communist activities throughout the Cold War.

Before FDR's Good Neighbor Policy of respect for the extreme unpopularity of such action in Latin America, earlier adventures in the Caribbean in the early 1900s included the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Central America, and Tampico after leasing bases in Guantanamo and the Panama Canal Zone. Nevertheless this wasn't the first such episode in US history - a boom of filibustering in the pre-Civil War South endured until the North was firmly turned against imperialism and stayed that way until the late 19th century.

Answer 2

Answer:

There were several primary reasons for American intervention in foreign affairs in the late-19th and early-20th century:

Economic Interests: The United States was rapidly industrializing during this period and needed new markets to sell its goods and access to raw materials to continue its growth. This led the U.S. to seek out new trading partners and territories to expand its influence and access to resources.

National Security: The U.S. also had concerns about protecting its national security and interests abroad. This included protecting American citizens and property in other countries, as well as securing strategic locations and resources.

Ideological and Moral Reasons: Many Americans believed in the spread of democracy and wanted to promote their values and way of life around the world. This led to interventions in countries like Cuba, the Philippines, and Panama in the early 20th century, where the U.S. sought to bring democratic reforms and modernization.

Imperialism: Some Americans also believed in the idea of American exceptionalism and saw it as their duty to spread their influence and control over other nations. This led to the acquisition of territories like Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Guam, as well as involvement in the Spanish-American War and the annexation of the Philippines.

Overall, the U.S. intervention in foreign affairs in the late-19th and early-20th century was driven by a combination of economic, security, ideological, and imperialistic reasons.