American foreign policy between 1890 and 1930

¶ … American history [...] American foreign policy in the period between 1890 and 1930. America had a strong foreign policy between 1890 and 1930, and it was largely built on isolationism and neutrality. They did not enter World War I until over two years after it began, and they attempted to bargain for peace in the region before they entered the war.

When this era of modern America began, the Progressives were in power, and they supported women's rights, globalization, modernization, and industrialization through democratic principles. All of this sent a progressive message to the world that showed America was ready to tackle the 20th century and be a global player. However, they also opposed labor reform laws and were indifferent toward minorities, especially blacks, sending another message about how the government treated minorities here at home.

This was also a period of the New Manifest Destiny, where America began to actively seek out new territory, such as Samoa, the Philippines, and Hawaii. Some saw this as imperialist activity, while others saw it as a way to gain a new population and land at the same time. In Europe, squabbles broke out about who retained the right to rule over Samoa, and Europeans were getting nervous about rising American power. Another historian writes, "At the turn of the century, Europeans expressed concern over the future United States role in world affairs. Their concern had its source in the obvious capacity of American industry to flood the markets of Europe (Varg, 1971, p. 211). America had come out on top in the Spanish-American War, and Europe was evolving into what would become World War I, where America intended not to get involved. Many of these decisions were entirely about American self-interest, and when they did get involved in World War I, it was because of the growing American threat from Germany, and the failure of Germany to agree to peace, rather than any altruistic ideas. The government was threatened by a possible alliance of Germany, Mexico, and Japan, and the threat of German u-boats off the coast of the country, which is what brought them into the war, so they were not supporting Europe as much as protecting themselves.

Beginning in the 1890s, America's position toward Latin America began to change, largely based on Secretary of State James G. Blaine's ideas. A historian writes, "Blaine's policy toward Latin America had two main objectives: promotion of peace and increased trade. Both were in a sense anti-European" (DeConde, 1963, p. 295). During this time, negotiations were underway to build what would eventually become the Panama Canal through Central America, so there was an increased awareness of the importance of the area, and how important it would be to open up the area to American trade. In this instance, the policy was certainly based on American self-interest, because eventually America stepped in and built the canal and acquired the Canal Zone as a result. The Secretary also wanted to create liaisons with other Latin American countries to help prevent war in the Americas, which was more ideology based, as well.