Final answer:
The Roosevelt Corollary amended the Monroe Doctrine by allowing the U.S. to intervene in Latin American affairs as an 'international police power,' a move viewed by many as U.S. imperialism aimed at protecting American business interests.
Step-by-step explanation:
Theodore Roosevelt altered the Monroe Doctrine with his Roosevelt Corollary, significantly changing the direction of American foreign policy. The Corollary was articulated in a 1904 address to Congress where Roosevelt amended the noninterference stance of the Monroe Doctrine, effectively permitting the United States to act as an 'international police power' in the Western Hemisphere.
Roosevelt's Corollary declared that the U.S. would intervene in the domestic affairs of its neighbors if they could not maintain order and national sovereignty, especially if their instability invited European intervention, contradicting America's earlier stance of non-intervention.
The Roosevelt Corollary was used to justify numerous military interventions in Latin American countries, such as the establishment of protectorates over Cuba and Panama, and managing revenues in places like the Dominican Republic. Despite it being framed as a measure to enforce peace and stability, many Latin Americans saw this policy as an extension of U.S. imperialism, serving to protect American business interests and ensuring debt repayment to U.S. and European banks.
President Franklin Roosevelt later reversed the interventionist policy with the 'Good Neighbor Policy', emphasizing noninterference and cooperation, reflecting a shift from Roosevelt's assertive approach to a more conciliatory stance in the relations with Latin American countries.