America Transition, Essay Example

Until the last 100 years or so, the social, political, and economic stance of the United States can best be described as isolationist (Cohen, 2002). She had few trading partners, avoided becoming involved in conflicts between nations, and generally saw herself as apart from the rest of the world – which she was geographically. The attitude of most Americans was that the government and the citizenry should take advantage of the safety afforded and self-sufficiency required of this unique position. It rarely every actually worked out that the US was actually without some international malady however.

Since the close of the War Between the States (more commonly called the American Civil War), technical advances, the decline of European imperial economies, and the end of World War I changed all of that (Academic, 2012). To describe the historical context, is to disclose trends and pressures and critical moments that led the U.S. to become a world power. The global significance of the changes that occurred can hardly be overstated. The global realities with which we live are to a great extent attributable to these events. Internal and external challenges, people, wars, and political ideologies resulted in the transition from an isolationist stance on foreign policy in America to one of a global superpower.

Two related concepts are those of “manifest destiny” and “liberalism.” Manifest destiny was the idea that it was naturally fated that the United States should span from coast to coast, and that one day she would become a “light unto the world.” Liberalism is the idea that American democratic ideals could free other nations from the dismal cycle of shifting alliances and war (Divine, Breen, Fredrickson, Williams, Gross & Brands, 2007). The Monroe Doctrine was issued by then president expressing the United States as the sole interested protector of the Western Hemisphere. Many nations balked that it had no internationally binding legal power, but the imperial system of Europe was collapsing, and strife between these nations often lead to the loss of colonial holdings. The British Empire lost her “crown jewel” with independence in India.

The United States began building her modern navy, and with the navies of the European powers decimated by war, the US Navy became the incumbent global naval power. At this time, much of the American interests were in the Pacific and Caribbean prompting intervention in both Guam and the Philippines. It marked the beginning of what many see as American Imperial aspirations. Her power and influence became clear when at the end of World War I, the League of Nations was formed as a forum for nations to cooperate and avoid conflict. The US Senate voted not to join the League. Many attribute to the failure of the League to the America’s lack of participation. Eventually, World War II began, and the US tried to avoid intervention true to a renewed isolationism, but it eventually it became unavoidable. As one of two main “victors,” the US was recognized as one of only two global superpowers.

George Washington himself had warned the US to keep out of foreign issues, but mostly gradually, the US became an international player, a world superpower, and global economic powerhouse (Soman, 2010). Some of it was by chance, some by opportunity, and some by challenging decisions on part of certain people. Nevertheless, our position in the world today can be traced at least in part to the events that unfolded after 1865.

References

Academic American. (2012). Imperialism and War: American Foreign Affairs 1865-1920. Retrieved from http://www.academicamerican.com/progressive/topics/imperial.html

Cohen, N. (2002). The Reconstruction of American Liberalism, 1865-1914. Charlotte, N.C.: University of North Carolina.

Divine, R.A., Breen, T.H., Fredrickson, G.M., Williams, R.H., Gross, A.J. & Brands, H.W. (2007). America Past and Present, 2. Princeton, N.J.: Prentice.

Soman, E. (2010). American Foreign Policy: The Struggle between Isolationism and Internationalism. Socyberty. Retrieved from http://socyberty.com/history/american-foreign-policy-the-struggle-between-isolationism-and-internationalism/