american imperialism definition
1 To them, it was essential to gain foreign markets if the US was to continue sustained economic growth. 2  Between 1870 and 1900, foreign trade had became increasingly central to the American economy. 3  Exports more than tripled, from about $400 million in 1870 to over $1.5 billion in 1900. The Ottoman Empire was once the largest empire in the world, taking in eastern Europe, the Middle East and much of northern Africa. Ottoman territory had shrunk significantly but by 1914 the sultanate retained the heart of its old empire: modern-day Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Armenia and Macedonia. Imperialism is a system where a powerful nation rules and exploits one or more colonies (collectively known as an empire). In most cases the imperialist nation establishes control over new territory by coercion – for example, through infiltration and annexation, political pressure, war and military conquest. Goal #1: To define imperialism and expansionism and how these terms were interpreted in the late 19th Century America. Imperialism-the policy of imposing economic and political control over other peoples in a way that undermines their sovereignty and takes away their freedom to make political and economic decisions. Colonial government was operated by the imperial power, or by a subordinate puppet regime. A military presence was stationed in the colony, to control native inhabitants, to deal with uprisings and deter imperial rivals. The main advantages of imperialism, however, were economic. Colonies existed to profit and enrich the imperial power. In most cases this involved the supply of precious metals or other resources, such as timber, rubber, rice or other foodstuffs. [...], so influential has been the discourse insisting on American specialness, altruism and opportunity, that imperialism in the United States as a word or ideology has turned up only rarely and recently in accounts of the United States culture, politics and history. American imperialism did not end with the beginning of the First World War. When the First World War broke out in Europe, President Woodrow Wilson promised American neutrality throughout the war. This promise was broken when the United States entered the war after the sinking of the RMS Lusitania by German submarines. Industry and trade are two of the most prevalent factors unique to imperialism. American intervention in both Latin America and Hawaii resulted in multiple industrial investments, including the popular industry of Dole bananas. Alfred T. Mahan, who served as an officer in the U.S. Navy during the late 19th century, supported the notion of American imperialism in his 1890 book titled The Influence of Sea Power upon History. Here is a list of the more significant imperial powers of the early 1900s: Global empires in 1914. The British Empire took in India, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Hong Kong, parts of north Africa, islands in the Pacific and Caribbean and concessions in China.
The policy of imposing economic and political control over other peoples in a way that undermines their sovereignty and takes away their freedom to make political and economic decisions.