Writing
Assignments Suggested QUESTIONS:
Imperialism and War
This age—the late 19th century—is sometimes called the age of neo-imperialism, as the developed nations scrambled to assert their control over various lesser-developed areas of the world. Although generally relatively indifferent to international issues and contemptuous of European practices, as expressed in the Monroe Doctrine, the United States nevertheless got into the game of empire building, though somewhat reluctantly. As Mahan put it, whether they wanted to or not, Americans began to look outward. One result was the Spanish-American War, which led to the creation of the American Empire. As a player on the world stage the United states got dragged deeper into the affairs of Europe as it joined the Allied powers in the First World War-the “Great War.” Thus in foreign (as in domestic) affairs, the country entered a new phase as the 20th century arrived. It is interesting that as we contemplate the arrival of the new millennium, many of the same issues exist that were evident 100 years ago. Lenin said that imperialism is the last stage of capitalism. What he meant was that capitalism was by his lights an oppressive, expensive system that needs larger and larger sources of revenue—markets and labor sources—on which to feed. Another sharp critic of American ways, William Appleman Williams, wrote a book called “The Tragedy of American Diplomacy,” which gained a lot of attention back in the 1960s when American foreign policy (especially in Vietnam) was coming under heavy fire. His message was that well meaning American “statesmen” and diplomats had done a lot of damage through short-sighted and ill-advised policies toward other nations. His criticisms are often associated with the period in American history when the U.S. first got into the “imperial” game-around the turn of the last century. Others have claimed that while American foreign policy has certainly been flawed, America has done its share to benefit the world. By fighting against German aggression in World War I, and against Nazi tyranny and Japanese militarism in World War II, and by helping nations achieve their destiny in various ways, the United States has done much to rid the world of some of its worst enemies. And although most supporters of American policy would admit we have made some bad, even tragic mistakes, they would still argue that American diplomacy was, all things considered, no worse than that of most nations and considerably better than some, especially in this "age of imperialism" around the turn of then century. What do you make of these conflicting claims? Was America generally on the right track, or badly misguided? Do you think we should have proceeded in markedly different directions? What did we achieve, or fail to achieve? Some of these questions and the answers to them obviously have significant implications for current foreign policy issues. We are still arguing over whether the United States should stay home and mind its own business, or do what some say we are doing already, acting as the “world's policeman.” Use the documents provided as a basis for your argument-how do you read the various claims made? Some questions you might think about as you read these sources:
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