America's Isolationism in the 20th Century Essay

In the early 1800's the United States took up the intentions of isolationism. Isolationism is the non involvement in world affairs, the United States used as a strategy of protection and defense. On December 2, 1823, James Monroe gave a speech on the Monroe Doctrine which settled that America would not allow European nations to invade any U. S. territory. The U.S. did not start off as a strong military force, that is why isolationism worked at the time. At the time it worked for the safety of the nation, but later it would only hurt them because they then became a target. Germany was the one that brought America out of their neutral state. During this time they did not even wish to expand beyond their own land. Their focus was on their western land.

Since George Washington’s presidency, the United Stated has declared itself an “isolationist” nation, in which they avoided any sort of foreign affairs with other countries. But can America ever be an isolationist country with the many conflicts with its long time rivals in Europe? Before America had authority in the world, stronger nations such as Great Britain, France, and other European powers had already established and expanded their powers abroad. It was not until the late 1800’s and early 1900’s that the U.S. started to gain in strength. This was the period that in American history which they tremendously expanded their influence to other, smaller, parts in the Western Hemisphere. But America was already an imperialist power beforehand, just not internationally, as evident in the Manifest Destiny where America was “chosen” to expand westward. The Spanish-American war proved to be one of the early examples of American involvement in international affairs, which they partook in the liberation of the Caribbean, Philippines, and Guam. Also their involvement with China and the succeeded lands from Spain also sparked relations with the world in which regulations were enacted, such as the open door policy in China, which made it more accessible to trade and keep European powers in check. The U.S. involvements in WWI also enhanced its involvement in international affairs and would lead America to further develop.

Zieger points out a great question concerning this vague reason for going to war: If the pathological character of the German state was truly the reason for American entry, why did Wilson take so long to recognize its irredeemable evil? (Zieger, 54) Other would question Wilson's motives and influences for going to war or not going to war earlier for decades to come. Wilson's vision of neutrality and facilitating as peace maker for the warring nations as Roosevelt did in 1906 (Davidson, 647) came to questionable end. Wilson's next vision would be to facilitate peace as a member of the Allies and secure the world from another such war.

World War I left a sour taste in the mouths of Americans; many felt that the United States had joined for the wrong reasons, and this disillusionment led to a return to isolationism. Americans looked to avoid entanglements in European affairs that could potentially pull them into another world war. Combined with the effects of the Great Depression and the economic troubles that spanned the globe, Americans were determined to avoid foreign affairs and remain neutral when conflict began. However, as dictatorships began to rise globally, the United States found it increasingly difficult to remain neutral and isolationist. Though the United States attempted to remain neutral in world affairs following World War I, the threat to democracy and rise

The devastating WWI left a permanent mark on the European soil, as well as in American people’s minds. People now understood what real wars are like; they are not always honorable, romantic or beneficial. As a result, isolationism ran high as the postwar United States entered the 1920s. Three presidents, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover all devoted themselves to domestic affairs starting from 1920 while trying their best to keep the country safe from the European turmoils. However, as the WWII erupted in Europe in the 1930s, president Franklin D. Roosevelt sensed the potential danger posed by Germany toward the United States. A series of changes in foreign policies from 1920 through 1941 marked the United

At the turn of the 20th century, the United States began to look at two foreign policy issues, isolationism and expansionism. Once the U.S. had its inland empire secured after the Indian wars, it began to look outward. Even though they were determined to remain detached from the Europeans, they believed it was their right to expand.

In the 1880s, the US was still known as a minor county, a nation known to play only a small role in world affairs. Before the start of intervening in other nations, the US had followed a policy of isolationism, or having little to do with the political affairs of other nations. This was advised by George Washington in his Farewell Address and had been followed by later presidents. At the same time, however, the US also followed a policy of expansionism, or extending its national boundaries. An example of this was their constant westward movement across the

During the twentieth century the United States of America became involved with three major conflicts that resulted in the nation shifting from a regional power into a global power. Through these conflicts the United States grew territorially, economically and industrially. Foreign policies were altered to allow the United States to gain ground on the world stage and to make their mark on the world. Through careful analysis of primary sources and scholarly document s it is clear to see that the United States involvement in the Spanish American war was the first step for the United States to grow on the world stage. The American victory in the war led to the acquisition of island territories and expanded economic and military capabilities in the both the western and eastern hemisphere as well as an increased involvement in Asia. World War I ended with American democratic ideals to be spread all across Europe. Led by President Woodrow Wilson, the United States led a one sided foreign policy that used intervention, peace treaties and military intervention to endorse international order. Despite a limited role in the war President Wilson was able to outline the Treaty of Versailles and the League of Nations and both of their presences can be found today.

The United States wanted to stay as far away from war as possible. It learned its lesson from World War I. When World War I erupted in 1914, President Woodrow Wilson pledged neutrality for the United States, a position that the clear majority of Americans favored. But can you truly isolate a country from war? With allies, and political ties, can it truly be done? No, it can’t. To prevent an arms race that could lead to another world war, America signed several disarmament treaties to limit the size of naval fleets among Britain, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. It also wanted to avoid any involvement in European or Asian affairs. Isolationism was America’s way of trying to stay safe.

The US entered a period of isolationism. Isolationism is the opposition of political and economic entanglements with other countries. The US was not happy that they got dragged into WWI and decided that they would not be dragged into another worldly conflict and instead focused on making the US a better place.

As the United States went through two World Wars between 1914 and 1941, isolationist sentiment had a large influence on US foreign policy. There were many causes for such isolationist beliefs as the era included many significant changes. The main change that Americans experienced during this time period was the immense difference in the decades, with a roaring economy in the 1920s following the first World War and a Great Depression in the 1930s which would end with the start of the second World War. With such large changes occurring within the lives of Americans during this entire period of time, isolationist sentiment rose. As such beliefs became widespread, US foreign policy became influenced by such isolationism. Isolationism meant that

Isolationism is defined as a “National policy of avoiding political or economic entanglements with other countries.” (Isolationism). Isolationism was a popular concept in the years between the revolutionary and civil wars. George Washington was a key supporter of isolationism, as he stated in his farewell address, “The nation which indulges toward another an habitual hatred or an habitual fondness is in some degree a slave.” (Washington).

In their book American Foreign Policy since World War 2, Steven W. Hook, and John Spanier take a historical look at American foreign policy. Since its independence, all through to the start of the 20th century, the United States had a policy of detachment. This was rooted in the believe that Europe, the only other meaningful powerful in the world in the 18th and 19th century, had intrinsic issues related to feudism that kept the continent in a constant state of war (Hook & Spanier, 2015). The U.S on its part was far away from Europe and had a unique chance to chart a different course, one free from the troubles of Europe. As a democracy free from the class systems of Europe and hence maintain peace and stability (Hook & Spanier, 2015). To maintain this peace and stability, it was in the United States interests to maintain detachment from Europe. In fact, Monroe wrote that Europe and its flawed system was evil and America should strive as much as possible to stay away from it (Hook & Spanier, 2015). However, in the 20th century, this policy of detachment was put to the test when the United States was drawn into the first and second world wars by external factors. This led the United States to get more engaged in global affairs. The idea behind engagement was to promote the ideals of democracy which, the U.S believed were the pillars of peace, as well as to protect itself from aggressors like Japan in the Second World War. After the

United States' Isolationist Policy During the Inter-War Years After the First World War many people in the United States wanted to turn their backs on European and other world affairs. This has been a policy of isolationism. If this term is used to mean having nothing to do with the outside world, then the USA was clearly not isolationist as it was involved in a number of important international issues. The term can more accurately be used, however, to mean refusing to become involved in international disputes and conflicts.

The United States was trying to expand its trading options during the late 1770s on into the 1780s with European nations. The U.S. had trouble with this because the country was already going failing economically. The idea was to try to avoid conflict with any nation if possible. The view of “isolationism” comes from the idea of trying to have interference with the European nations, but also trying to avoid conflict. Washington sent John Jay over to Great Britain to try negotiate a plan for America to trade in the Mediterranean without conflict. Washington hosted a conference in 1785, he wanted to discuss trade regulations between the states of Virginia and Maryland. The convention was to be brought up