How important was President Theodore Roosevelt in the development of American Imperialism in the years 1900-1924?

 

 

In the 1900s, the idea of imperialism from Europe influenced the Americans. During the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt, imperialism was developed deeply, especially reflected in the interventionist foreign policy and Roosevelt Corollary.

 

A series of active American foreign policy was adopted by President Theodore Roosevelt, which promoted the development of imperialism to a great extent. Expansionism, a body idea of imperialism, allowed the America to intervene other nations. The intervention into the conflict between Spain and Cuba was a good example, which helped the US gain certain protectorates including Cuba, Philippines, Guam and Puerto Rica. Also, the Platt Amendment was passed by the Congress to control domestic affairs of Cuba as well as other parts of Latin America. Moreover, in the other side of the Pacific, the far east, was under American control as well. China was unstable at that time and was curved up by European countries, then the America intervened the confusion for the purpose of opening free markets and attacking European nations, which were powerful and threatened the world position of America. Open Door policy was set out and it benefited the American trade largely as a result. Roosevelt played the leading role in the international response to the Morocco crisis and offered American mediation to end the Russian-Japanese War as well. The transformation was a departure from the traditional foreign policy, Monroe Doctrine, which was a great leap of developing imperialism.

 

Roosevelt’s most significant achievement, Panama Canal, embodied American imperialism as well. The opening up of Panama Canal tackled the disagreement over the exact line of the southern border of Alaska, and made it favourable to the US. It also forced Colombia to accept the existence of a new country, Panama, which was completely under American control. In addition, Roosevelt Corollary was set out by President Roosevelt in order to achieve further imperialism, which announced that the USA should be recognised as a world power and American police would fully control its own ‘back yard’ in Latin America. Roosevelt asserted that “ if a nation knows how to act with reasonable efficiency and decency in social and political matters, it need fore on interference from the United States”. In other words, it was necessary and correct to intervene the affairs in weaker nations for Roosevelt to have stable, orderly and prosperous circumstances around America’s neighbourhood.

 

Meanwhile, the imperialism was partly influenced by the ‘Civilising Mission’ and ‘Social Darwinism’. The former idea emerged with the European imperialist ideologies. For the racial and cultural superiority, there was a need for the US to raise up non-white societies from their ‘backwardness’. It was also claimed that this was the responsibility of America to conquer weaker nations as they were not fit to the world and at the same time, strong nations survived. The America, therefore, had an excuse to intervene other countries such as Cuba, Colombia and China and achieved imperialism completely. After Theodore Roosevelt was elected as the president, there had already been an elementary background of imperialism, which made a lot easier for Roosevelt to continue and implement.

 

Generally speaking, Theodore Roosevelt was essential for the development of American imperialism in terms of intervention to weaker nations, Panama Canal Project and Roosevelt Corollary. After his presidency, expansionism was continued by the next Replican president William Taft, who became the president in 1908. The Platt Amendment set out by the Congress and John Hay’s Open Door policy also contributed to develop the imperialism. Thus, Roosevelt was significant, but not the only factor.