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Platt Amendment
The Platt Amendment allowed the US to keep a tight grasp on Cuba even though it was technically independent. The Amendment said that Cuba can't make agreements with other foreign powers, the US can intervene in Cuban affairs to keep order, and the US may use Guantanimo Bay as a naval base. This amendment showed America as a new imperial power, along with its holding of the Philippines and Puerto Rico. -
Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe Doctrine
Roosevelt added this corollary to the Monroe Doctrine to say that the US would be able to intervene in Latin America if any European powers tried to interfere with Latin American countries. The Roosevelt corollary fostered diplomatic change, as Roosevelt ushered the US toward becoming the "constable of the world," or protecting its own interests in the name of protecting other countries' freedoms. -
Dollar diplomacy in Nicaragua
Taft's dollar diplomacy program in Nicaragua guaranteed loans to the Nicaraguans and established a collector of taxes. Taft believed this new diplomacy, which protected US business interests abroad by investing in areas of "strategic interest", would limit the need for military involvement. However, Taft still used the military to put down the resentful Nicaraguans after dollar diplomacy. The US dollar diplomacy program ed to resentment of other nations. -
US bankers pull out of the 6-nation loan to China
This signaled the end of dollar diplomacy, as Wilson believed that the government should not offer special support to US investors in Latin America and China. This signaled a large change politically, as the government no longer rewarded/favored investors who invested abroad. This also led to decreased resentment toward the US from other nations. -
Jones Act
The Jones Act, passed during Wilson's presidency, gave the Philippines territorial status and promised its full freedom as soon as a "stable government" was established. Wilson worked to reverse the "Big Stick" policies of Roosevelt and imperialist policies of McKinley in order to return the US to a moral high ground, acting as a "moral diplomatic" force only when needed. -
US declares war on Germany (WWI)
Though the US had been making a large profit off of trade with the Allies before entering the war, the US eventually declared war on Germany. Though Wilson said that this was to fight for a "war to end all wars" and to "make the world safe for democracy," the US government also knew it needed to protect its investments with the Allies (if the Allies lost, they would lose all their investment in helping them). Thus, the foreign policy changed to fit the government's interests. -
14 Points Outlined by Wilson
Included in Wilson's 14 points was his desire to use America's influence to bring together the nations with the goal of limiting future warfare and resolving the end of world war I peacefully (and without causing the resentment of Germany). Because of previous foreign entanglements, however, the US public was wary, and Wilson's League of Nations attempt caused heavy anti-foreign reaction and a turn toward isolationism. -
Congress Votes Down Treaty of Versailles
The Senate rejected the treaty, which included the League of Nations, 2 times. Senator Lodge's "14 Reservations" contributed to Congress' isolationist attitude. The US decided that it did not want to be thrust into a world war by the League, and it wanted to have greater control over interactions with other countries. However, the US' decision to not be the moral police force of the world led directly to diplomatic appeasement and the rise of dictators in World War II. -
Fordney-McCumber Tariff Law
This raised the tariff from 27% to 33% in the US, and made it hard for debt-ridden Allied countries, mainly Britain and France, to sell their goods to the US. Europe was forced to raise their tariffs in retaliation, and thus world trade came to a standstill. The US foreign policy favored its own economic gains over other countries' economic well-being, and thus led to resentment by Europe. -
Dawes Plan
The Dawes Plan was a debt repayment plan proposed by the US. US private investors wold lend money to Germany, who would use that money to pay back Britain and France, who would then pay back the US. This foreign policy, which entirely relied on US credit, came to a halt after US investors lost their money during the 1929 crash and led to the worldwide depression. This depression led the US to turn to more active government participation in order to fix the Depression. -
Immigration Act
This act heavily restricted immigration, especially on Southern and Eastern European immigrants, and prevented all Japanese immigration. America's increasing nativism and isolationism meant that it left the outside world alone, believing that America was superior. Because America refused to be a refuge for immigrants, it allowed political problems in other countries, such as the rise of fascism with Hitler and Mussolini, to continue. -
Kellogg-Briand Pact
This act tried to outlaw war, but said that defensive wars were permitted. This feeble attempt at preventing a second world war led to political trouble in the US, as Americans thought that this secured their peace and became unconcerned with foreign affairs. -
Stimson Doctrine
The Stimson Doctrine came after the Japanese invaded Manchuria in China. It said that the US would not recognize any territory acquired by force. So after Japan invaded Shanghai after, the US did not intervene with its military and instead turned a blind eye. This attitude led to America's political apathy toward international injustice, which would not be reversed until the US finally joins World War II. -
US Withdraws Marines from Haiti
This action illustrates FDR's Good Neighbor Policy. FDR wanted to leave Latin America and Western hemisphere areas alone, and did this by withdrawing troops from Haiti and rejecting the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. While increasing US isolationism, this action also led to greater respect for America from Latin American and Caribbean countries. -
Lend-Lease Bill
This was FDR's plan for providing aid to the "democracies of the world" during World War II without being directly involved in the war. This was seen by Hitler as America's unofficial declaration of war. This act allowed the US to make a huge profit off of the war, but also lead Hitler and Japan to lead America into the war. Thus, the US sacrificed its safety and peace for economic gain. -
US Declares War on Germany (WWII)
Marking the official end of US isolationism, the US finally decided to accept its position as a military and moral leader. Since World War II, US has been involved in the diplomatic and militaristic affairs of many countries. Although the foreign policy of isolationism changed the political and diplomatic mindset of Americans for about 20 years, the start of World War II brought America back to its position as a world police force, and thus the foreign policy changes were not lasting.
