Imperialism in world history: United States and Latin America

Imperialism has been present in the world for many generations and encompasses many different events throughout the world including Boer Wars, the murder of Congolese people by Leopold ii of Belgium, the Suez Canal and the presence of the Dutch East India Co. Imperialism in Latin America has been advantageous in some respects and disadvantageous in other respects. Latin America encompasses all of the Americas inclusive of Spanish and Portuguese empires. The United States has played a key role in Latin American imperialism in world history. This role is particularly evident after 1775.

Imperialism in Latin American can be seen in several instances. One of the most important instances occurred with the battle of Manila bay (1898) during the Spanish-American war. At the time George Dewey was the admiral of the American navy. The battle of Manila bay marked the beginning of American imperialism in Cuba. At the time of the Spanish wars Cuba was fighting for its independence from Spain. However the United States desired to bring Cuba under its control and used its defeat at the battle of Manila Bay to accomplish this goal. To this end,

"In 1901, the U.S. Congress passed the Platt Amendment. This amendment, which was incorporated into the Cuban constitution until 1934, set conditions for U.S. intervention in Cuba's domestic affairs. And the U.S. landed marines in Cuba in 1906, 1912, 1917, and 1920. The amendment also established a U.S. military colony in Cuba -- the Guantanamo naval base -- that is now used as a detention camp and torture chamber in the U.S.'s war on the world (Lotta).

Other aspects of imperialism in Latin America included the Panama Canal (1870-1914). The purpose of building the canal was to provide "an easy and reliable route for moving naval vessels from one coast to the other (Ebeling)." As such, President Roosevelt sought to build this canal for the benefit of American imperialism in that region of the world.

What resources was the U.S. trying to utilize

In the case of Cuba one of the primary resources is the location of the Island and what it meant strategically for the United States military. This is evident in the development of Guantanamo Bay which is still used today. Additionally Imperialism has economic advantages because it places more and more resources into the hands of a few. In the case of the remainder of Latin America these economically beneficial resources included land, fossil fuels and metal ores. All of these resources could be utilized for economic growth and development.

Extraterritoriality is also an issue that arose as a result of America imperialism . This was most evident in the seizure of the railways of Nicaragua by an American Bank. Extraterritoriality involves "immunities enjoyed by foreign states or international organizations and their official representatives from the jurisdiction of the country in which they are present. Extraterritoriality extends to foreign states or international organizations as entities and to their heads, legations, troops in passage, war vessels, mission premises, and other assets. It exempts them, while within the territory of a foreign sovereign, from local judicial process, police interference, and other measures of constraint ("Extraterritoriality")."

Was the United States involvement beneficial or harmful or both to the local people

New Imperialism-first adopted by European powers- has forever altered the relationship been the United States and Latin American nations. The actions of the United States were harmful to the local people. In many instances various Latin American nations have been forced to spend a great deal of money defending themselves from Americas Imperialism. As a result many Latin American countries suffer with high profit rated and substantial unemployment.

The strategies used by the United States are problematic because the highest form of capitalism is imperialism according to V.I. Lenin. Lenin explains that "In the backward colonial peoples, argued Lenin, capitalism had found a new proletariat to exploit? And from the enhanced profits of such imperialism it was able to bribe at least the more skilled workers at home into renouncing revolutionary fervor and collaborating with the bourgeoisie ("The New Imperialism")." In other words imperialism allowed for the proliferation of capitalism into new regions and populations. As a result nations such as the United States could convince highly skilled workers not to revolt. This tactic was beneficial to the United Sates but detrimental to the local people of various Latin American countries.