Download Imperialism - Garden City Public Schools

What’s the Big Idea?
The United States influenced the foreign affairs of
Latin America.
Essential Question
How did Latin American nations struggle for stability,
and how did industrialized nations affect them?
Aim
• Identify the Monroe Doctrine and Roosevelt
Corollary
• Describe how the United States acted as an
imperialist power in Latin America
• Explain the causes and effects of the Mexican
Revolution
Let’s Set the Stage
In the mid-1800s, some Latin American economies began to grow. Foreign
investment allowed them to develop mining and agriculture. Foreigners also
invested in improving transportation. There were few benefits for the majority of
Latin Americans. The rigid class structure limited economic gains to the few at
the top of the social hierarchy.
In 1823, the United States issued the Monroe Doctrine. This reflected the
intention of the United States to make Latin America a U.S. sphere of influence.
U.S. Imperialism

The Monroe Doctrine
(1823) – U.S. foreign
policy position that
declared that further
efforts by European
nations to colonize
land or interfere with
states in North or
South America would
be viewed as acts of
aggression, requiring
U.S. intervention.
 The policy was also
backed up by the
British Royal Navy.
James Monroe
(1758– 1831)
Spanish American War
(1898-99)
Jose Marti
(1853 – 95)

Sinking of the Maine
(1898)
The Rough
Riders
Spain was challenged by the Cuban Revolution
(1895) led by Marti. Spain crushed rebellion with
many atrocities. U.S. intervention against Spain
began with the sinking of the battleship Maine and
ended in military triumph (1899).
The Panama Canal (1903-1914)




In 1903 the US backed a revolt by
Panamanians against Colombia;
once independent, Panama gave
the U.S. control of the land
where a canal would be built.
Construction began in 1904 and
was completed in ten years.
It was an engineering marvel
that boosted trade and shipping
worldwide.
To Latin Americans, its was
another example of Yankee
imperialism.
Theodore Roosevelt
(1858– 1919)
 The
Roosevelt Corollary
(1904) – This addition to the
Monroe Doctrine states that the United States will
intervene in conflicts between European Nations and
Latin American countries to enforce legitimate claims of
the European powers, rather than having the Europeans
press their claims directly [gunboat diplomacy].
Why did U.S. leaders add the Roosevelt Corollary
to the Monroe Doctrine?
To protect U.S. investments in Latin America
Causes of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20)
General Porfirio Diaz ruled as a
dictator in the late 1800s and early
1900s. He brutally suppressed
opposition.
 Diaz brought economic advances to
Mexico. Railroads were built and
industry grew.
 The wealth went to a small upper
class as well as to foreign investors.
 Most Mexicans were uneducated and
poor. In 1910, the discontent boiled
over into a revolution.

The Mexican Revolution (1910-20)


The Revolution was a major armed
struggle that started with an uprising
led by Francisco Madero against
longtime autocrat Porfirio Díaz,
and lasted for the better part of a
decade.
Over time the Revolution changed
from a revolt against the established
order to a multi-sided civil war. This
armed conflict is often categorized as
the most important socio-political
event in Mexico and one of the
greatest upheavals of the 20th
century.
Porfirio Diaz
(1830– 1915)
Francisco Madero
(1873– 1913)
Three Rival Revolutionaries




The assassination of Madero
by Victoriano Huerta in 1912
was followed by years of
social and political unrest.
U.S.
intervention
and
Mexican uprisings toppled
Huerta (1914).
No leader emerged – three
men
vied
for
power:
Venustiano
Carranza,
Francisco “Pancho” Villa and
Emiliano Zapata.
U.S. involvement led to a
Carranza presidency.
Huerta
(1850–1916)
Carranza
(1859-1920)
Villa
(1878–1923)
Zapata
(1879-1919)
Effects of the Mexican Revolution (1910-20)
• Constitution of 1917 – land
• Social reforms – first Latin
reform, government control of
American nation to achieve
church estates and more rights
social reforms for the majority
to workers and women.
of the people.
• Libraries and schools set up.
• Opportunity for Indians to
regain land.
• Economic Nationalism –
aimed at ending economic
dependence on industrial
powers.
Cultural Nationalism – taking
pride in Latin American culture
while rejecting the influences of
Europe.
A major reason for the issuance of the Monroe Doctrine (1823)
was to
1. discourage United States trade with Latin America
2. defend the Panama Canal from Great Britain
3. prevent further European colonization in the Caribbean
region
4. provide economic aid to Latin American nations
How did the United States act as an imperialist
power in Latin America?
The United States interfered politically in Latin
America when its interests were threatened or
when it could gain an advantage by using military
force, as in Panama.