What
were the various factors that influenced American foreign policy in the late
nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and which was the most
significant? How do the various factors
relate to one another?
Various factors influenced American foreign policy in the
late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. We cite an ongoing quest for
markets and raw materials, notions of racial superiority, social Darwinism and
the desire to Christianize Africa and Asia. A close look to all these factors
show an uncontestable relation but, some of these factors had more influence
than others.
The end of civil war marked a new era of industrial and
agricultural revolution. Political and business elites evoked the necessity to
end the “isolationist mood” and start an epoch of expansion to sustain a
continuous development in the US. The development required acquisition of new
territories rich on raw material as well as opening new markets to vend US products.
This imperialist
expansion was backed by naval force to guaranty safe movement of ships between
the US and acquired territories. The US military involvement beyond the western
hemisphere could not be accepted by common Americans who disagreed with
colonizing foreign countries. Here comes the moral and religious motive. America
was God’s chosen people and need it to spray Christianity to “savages” in Asia
and Africa. An argument feed by population assumptions of racial superiority.
Finally, the theory of Social Darwinism supported US
foreign expansion to feed big corporations calling for a no regulation policy.
All the factors cited were interrelated and influenced
American foreign policy. However, the economic factor was the predominant. The
main reason behind the new imperialist era in US history was a greedy course to
raw materials and new markets led by business lords. These lords priority was
to make profit on the detriment of human lives either inside or outside the US.