Exam 1 Flashcards
Why is foreign policy important for the United States?
Security depends on external factors, the US economy is more internationalized, domestic issues have become interconnected globally, and growing ethnic diversity means more groups are interested in FP
What were the two models of US leadership before 1945?
Promised land vs crusader state
What does promised land mean?
The US is a city upon a hill, a special place where humans could start anew, and an example
What does crusader state mean?
The US practiced internalized colonialism and imperialism in the continent
Why is the assumption that the US was isolationist before WWII not very accurate?
Of the first 9 presidents, 6 were Secretary of State, we were very dependent of foreign trade, and US forces were used abroad 163 times before WWII
What was the strength of US power in the 18th century?
Geographic isolation from Europe
What were the weaknesses of US power in the 18th century?
Small territory and population, limited national resources, weak government, poor transportation infrastructure, exposure to European ambitions, divisions within US society
What were the guiding principles of US FP until 1861?
Accumulation of federal state/government power, no entanglement in Europe, territorial expansion, postponing decisions on slavery
What were George Washington’s goals on FP?
Build the central state, raise state revenue, small army, and steer clear of permanent alliances
What were Thomas Jefferson’s FP accomplishments?
Strengthened the central state, reduced national debt, purchased the Louisiana territory
What was the cause of the War of 1812?
British provocations and war hawks in Congress
What were US failures in the war of 1812?
British troops sacked Washington and the US failed to expand to Canada
What were US successes in the war of 1812?
Extinguished major Indian enemy tribes, earned Britain’s respect, growing national cohesion, domestic consensus on need to reinforce federal state
What was the US British relationship like in the 19th century?
Rivalry, but accompanied by British overstretch, British protection of the Atlantic, economic ties, and ideological convergence
What was the context behind the Monroe doctrine?
There was a decline of European powers in America, but there were signs of plots to reclaim Latin America
When was the Monroe Doctrine created?
1823
What was the Monroe Doctrine?
A warning to Europeans that they should not project influence into Latin America anymore, it led to US domination over LA
What was manifest destiny?
The alleged right of the US to expand westward to the Pacific Ocean
Why did the US practice manifest destiny?
Material goals, civil religious dimensions (remake the world in America’s image), security dimensions
What were the key milestones in westward expansion?
1845: annexed Texas, 1848: acquired California, Nevada, Utah after Mexican American War
What were the origins of the Civil War?
Dispute over slavery, economic anxiety in the South
What did Confederate strengths look like?
They had a revolutionary zeal, huge territory, Jefferson Davis had a lot of military experience, Northern states like Maryland or Kentucky could switch sides
What were Confederate weaknesses?
Demographic inferiority, questionable economic potential, Lincoln’s strategy
What was Abe Lincoln’s strategy in the Civil War?
Wait for the South to declare independence, strangle the South (maritime blockade and continental offensives), ensure Europeans would not intervene, emancipation proclamation
What was the outcome of the Civil War?
The union was saved, bolstered America’s image abroad, increase of power to the central state, and a quick recovery
Why was the US a rising power after the Civil War?
The US had 50m people, a large territory, natural resources, and a huge domestic market
What percent of the world’s manufacturing output did the US have after the Civil War?
20%
Why did the US declare war on Spain?
Cubans were rebelling against the Spanish empire, instability in Cuba was bad for US business, implementing the Monroe Doctrine, Spain owned lands the US wanted for itself, growing nationalism, and yellow journalism
Why did war break out with Spain?
The USS Main blew up in the Havana harbor, which the US blamed on a Spanish mine (really an accident)
What did the US get out of the Spanish American War?
Liberation of Cuba and the acquisition of Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Phillipines
Why did Teddy Roosevelt dismantle capitalist monopolies?
They hampered US innovation and stirred inequality, so breaking them up would increase US power
Who was Alfred T. Mahan?
A theorist of sea power who convince Roosevelt that a great navy was important to US power
What was the Great White Fleet World Tour?
When Teddy Roosevelt built up the US navy, he wanted to show it off to increase diplomacy and US credibility
Why did the US want to build the Panama Canal?
US foothold to increase influence near the Caribbean, inter-oceanic trade, inter-oceanic defense, boost of US reputation
When did the US back Panama’s independence?
1903
When did Teddy Roosevelt become president?
1901
When did war with Spain break out?
Feb 15, 1898
What was the Roosevelt Corollary?
The US would protect Latin America if they defaulted on their debt
When was the Roosevelt Corollary announced?
1904
Why was the US concerned about Eurasian power?
A Eurasian power might be able to dominate a big portion of Eurasia and exploit the resources to become more powerful than the US
What was Roosevelt’s strategy to contain Eurasia?
Entrench US influence in the rimland
How did Roosevelt exercise constraints in East Asia?
He negotiated an end to the Russo-Japanese War to constrain Japan’s rise
How did Roosevelt exercise constraints in Europe?
He mediated the end of the Moroccan crisis to try to constrain Germany’s rise
What was Wilson’s initial stance on WWI?
Keep the US out of it
When did the US intercept the Zimmerman Telegram?
Jan 1917
When did Germany resume unrestricted submarine warfare?
Feb 1917
Why did the US enter WWI?
Germany would fight at all costs, which was bad for US business, there was a fear Germany would control Europe, and there was an opportunity to reshape the international system on liberal lines
When did Wilson ask Congress to declare war?
April 2, 1917
How was WWI a major victory for the US?
The end of the war was accelerated, there were few US casualties, and the age of oil dominated by the US began
What did Wilson want in Europe after WWI?
Peace without victory and self-determination for all nations
Why did Wilson’s post WWI plans fail?
There were heavy reparations imposed on Germany, no self-determination, and the Senate opposed US involvement in the League of Nations
When did the Bolshevik Revolution occur?
Nov 1917
Why was the US worried about the Bolshevik revolution
Communist ideology was considered a threat to American interests and America’s way of life
What did US-British-France cooperation do to buffer the Soviet Union?
Created Eastern European buffer states and blunted the Soviets in the Black Sea
Why did some think the US took an isolationist turn in the 20s?
No involvement in the League of Nations, recurrent critiques of European moral bankruptcy, 1924 immigration act, severe Congressional import tariffs
What are the signs that the US did not take an isolationist shift in the 20s?
The US led naval agreements that weakened the British navy and prevented military buildups, supported Europe’s economic resurgence, made Europe more dependent on the US, and made forays into imperial European markets and natural resources
When did the crash of the stock market occur at the beginning of the Great Depression?
October 1929
When did the Smoot-Hawley tariff occur?
1930
What did the Smoot Hawley tariff do?
Incited other countries to respond with their own tariff
In what ways was there growing instability before WWII?
1931: Japan conquered Manchuria, 1935-36: Italy takes over Ethiopia, 1936: Germany takes over the Rhineland
What did the Congressional neutrality acts say?
The US would not ship arms/money to the belligerents of a future war, and the US would not send ships into harms way
What did the anti war camp think pre-WWII?
Another war would aggrandize federal power and they feared provoking Germany and Japan
What did the New Deal (1933) do?
revived banking/industry, improved social safety
How did Roosevelt help prepare America for war?
Rebuilt economic power, rebuilt military potential, helped Britain resist Germany, sanctioned Japan in the Pacific, convince the people was was necessary, leased supplies to the allies, formed the Atlantic Charter
What was the turning point that caused the US to enter WWII?
Pearl Harbor, Dec 7, 1941
What did it mean that the US would “win the battle of the Atlantic” in WWII?
Help supply Britain and prepare offenses against the German blockade in the Atlantic
What was operation torch?
An operation to help the allies secure North Africa and access to the Mediterranean, and give the allies a better position to pin the Germans in
When did operation torch occur?
Nov. 1942-May 1943
When did the Battles of Normandy occur?
Jun 1944
How did the US exploit Japan’s overstretch?
They knew that Japan had too many entanglements to keep, and the US was economically and demographically superior
What were the milestones of the US in the Pacific theater?
June 1942: Battle of Midway
1943-45: Island hopping strategy
Mid-1944: Strategic bombing of Japan
Aug. 1945: use of the atomic bomb
How was WWII an unprecedented US victory?
The US would produce almost 50% of the value of the world’s goods and services, only had .3 m dead, and had prestige
What was the domestic impact of WWII?
1942: internment of Japanese Americans, but more responsibilities for women and integration
How did FDR cultivate allies in WWII?
He provided transparency and coordination, the British provided bases and intelligence, the Soviets offered the war industry and 30 m lives
What was the major US goal after WWII?
Create the UN, create international economic organizations, and tolerate Soviet influences in E. Europe and China
Was FDR naive about the Soviet threat?
No, the US was dependent on Moscow’s war contribution and FDR wanted to build a stable order
What was the lesson for the US of the Pearl Harbor attacks?
The US must remain engaged in Eurasia and protect the Rimland
What did the traditionalists think was the beginning of the Cold War?
Communism seeks ideological universalism and Stalin was paranoid, so the Soviets committed several aggressions after WWII, including not withdrawing from Iran, interfering in Central/Eastern Europe, and pressuring Turkey and Greece
