Isolation Diplomatic Policy
Isolation is a common diplomatic policy that many nations rarely use it. Isolation policy is one that most nations and their leaders try so much to avoid intervening in foreign issues because the nation’s interests are more important and are served best when the nation’s distance themselves on affairs that will affect other countries. Meanwhile, imperialism was the highest stage of capitalism characterized by the corporations of monopoly and compulsion of exporting goods to earn more profits.
Hence, in the United States, isolationism did find its way in the 1790s. In his farewell speech, George Washington encouraged the American leaders to maintain neutrality in most of the foreign issues. He discussed the importance of them keeping ties with other nations based on economic benefits and warned them that they should not innerving in any foreign political conflicts or issues that will lead to them not concentrating on serving the Americans’ interests. Therefore, the nation could maintain an isolationist foreign policy that did prevent them from getting involved in any global conflicts, especially politically that did occur in the 19th century. Despite that isolationism did have some benefits and consequences, America shifted from the diplomatic policy and involved itself in foreign matters that led to World War I and II.
American imperialism referred to the military, cultural influence, and economy of the united states to other countries. During James K. Polk’s presidency, the American empire’s concept was real through the half of the 1800s. Industrialization did cause American businesspeople to venture into international markets to see their products. It led to increased influence on social Darwinism that made the United States believe that they are inherently responsible for the upbringing of concepts like democracy and Christianity to the undeveloped societies and industries. The combination of the attitudes with other factors led to imperialism in the United States.
Economic factors
Economic factors did play a very critical role when the U.S. was shifting from isolationism to imperialism. They did go through tremendous economic growth throughout industrialization. The nation did transform from an agricultural economy to a manufacturing economy—leading to larger private and public entities sprouting in various parts of America, making the country become one of the leading producers, weapons, cotton, and other goods exported. When the exportation of cotton became vital to the nation, it brought the lack of foreign involvement that limited the nation to access resources such as sugar and coffees from the American Latin nations and rubber and skills from the Asians. Hence, the economy of the U.S. mostly relied heavily on the relations that they had with other nations because it did affect the foreign trade and values of goods exported at that time.
Furthermore, American imperialism did experience its first movement from the late 1800s, following World War II. Over this time, the nation did exert economic, political, and social control over some countries, including Germany, Austria, Japan, Korea, and Cuba. One of the most common American imperialism was the annexation that happened in 1898 in Hawaii that made the United States gain possession by controlling buildings, military equipment, public property, and ports that was belonging to the government of the Hawaiian Islands.
Political/military
The United States had to build up political and military stability that will help them to keep up with the European empires by building naval expansions. Moreover, they were to build a solid navy to protect their economy in overseas markets. Furthermore, the growth of imperial powers and patriotism led many countries to compete with others for supremacy powers that were a matter of prestige, security, and national pride. Most of the political motives were triggered as a response to perceived threats to imperial power’s security and their citizens abroad.
Religious
During the expansion of the imperial, individuals who were religious set out to convert new members to their religions and become part of their empire. Missionaries who came from Europe did get to establish more churches in some very conquered territories during their times and spread their western cultures. Hence, missionaries had spread the imperial nation’s language by bringing education and religion. The missionaries from the British did support the charge of stopping the slave trade within the 19th century. In contrast, the French missionaries fighting in Vietnam did clamor for their country to take over the nation.
Nationalism
The time of the manifest destiny frontier was long gone, and they wanted to have new expansions. Unites states always knew they were the superiors, and it was their work to spread civilization and values to the societies and nations that were still uncivilized overseas. They believed their cultural values would be successful to the inferior people. For example, the European powers clung to believing in the racist belief that all the inferior races need to be conquered to be civilized, making them think that one race should be superior to the other.
Exploratory:
Most Imperial nations and their citizens were eagerly wanting to explore a territory that unknown to most of them. While they did that for scientific and medical purposes, at other times, it was just for an adventure. Hence, they were invariably just out to discover, claim territories before their competitors could do so, gain national or personal glory, and expand their imperialist territories.
The opposition of the imperialism
American anti-imperialist, generally an organization established in the United States in 1898, was to battle against the American annexation of the Philippines of being an insular area. The league did argue that the Spanish-American war was an imperialism war of liberations. The anti-imperialists were opposing the expansion, believing imperialism to be violating the doctrine of republicanism. They needed the consent of the governed. However, there was no expansion on constitutional, humanitarian grounds, commercial, humanitarian grounds, and religion. Hence, they only believed that annexation and administration taking place in tropical areas during the third-world would lead to the abandonment of American’s ideals of having self-governments and isolation. The Anti-Imperialist was grassroots in the earlier era and represented an older generation. They were defeated on public opinions during the 1900 election—followed by the congress and president’s actions since the younger generation that comes into power was supporting imperialism.
The Spanish-American war.
The war was a conflict in 1898 between the United States and Spain that was led by the ongoing Cuban war that the Americans had an intervention. This led to the U.S. been involved in the Philippine revolution and the battle between America and the Philippines. The battle was very swift and decisive, whereby it took a three-month duration, and there was no single American reverse that occurred. After a week after declaring the war, Commodore George Dewey did steam his fleet to the Philippines. He caught the entire Spanish armada in manila bay, and it was destroyed without losing an American life.
The open-door policy
Open Door Policy referred to a U.S. doctrine expressed by john hays who was the secretary and it was dispatched to most of the European powers. This policy was used to propose to keep china open for them to trade with other countries on an equal basis and not having anyone to have the power of controlling the country. Moreover, it called upon all powers within their spheres within their market from interfering with any treaty port or ay vested interest. This enabled the chains to collect tariffs on an equal basis without showing any favors to their nationals in dues or railroad charges. Additionally, the policy in the U.S. was for the desire of businesses to trade with other markets in China, whereby it pledged on protecting territorial integrity and its sovereignty from partitions. It also did sympathies with those who opposed imperialism. The policy did have very little legal standings for the colonial powers that didn’t have much meaningful input from the Chinese, which led to the creation of lingering resentments, which made it seem like a symbol of national humiliations the Chinese historians.
Conclusion
We conclude that the United States did implement imperialistic behavior to protect their economy, political ones, and interests. The interests led to manifesting of oil reserves and having to support the interests of other nations. Therefore, result actions that were carried out led to regional instability, making America the forefronts of the world and advancing people’s best interests. The U.S. government is more often using power to decide on what is just and right basing on what is more attractive to them and what is not, hence creating a double standard. If a country is imposing tariffs on Americans, lawmakers will be fast to call on fair trade violations. While other countries tend to take American programs, they impose taxes immediately on goods to defend the American manufacturers without any fair trade. The government of America’s interest in creating regional instability and tampering if there is no need and sit back when others need help desperately.