Three Diplomatic Policies example essay topic

The three diplomatic policies, Roosevelt Corollary, Dollar Diplomacy, and Moral Diplomacy, changed the role of the United States in many ways. They expanded America's influence as it began its role as a world power. The United States started becoming part of the business of other countries to spread their power across the nations. Even today, decades after these policies were first put to use, Americans who have studied the history of their country can see that these policies have changed the way people live in the United States. The diplomatic policies allowed the United States to intervene in the affairs of other nations. Each one played a significant role in the history of America and therefore, should be thoroughly examined and explained to others.

The first important diplomatic policy was the Roosevelt Corollary, also known as the "big stick" policy. The president at that time, Theodore Roosevelt, based his Latin American policy on a West African proverb that said "speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far". He claimed that wrongdoing on the part of the smaller American nations might tempt European countries to intervene in those nations, either to collect debts or to defend the lives and property of Europeans. Roosevelt was determined to make the United States the predominant power in the Caribbean and Central America. Under his "big stick" policy, the United States sent troops into the Dominican Republic in 1905, into Nicaragua in 1912, and into Haiti in 1915. Another important policy used by the U.S. government to guarantee loans made to foreign countries by American business-people was called the "dollar diplomacy".

Created by President William H. Taft, it grew out of Theodore Roosevelt's peaceful intervention in the Dominican Republic, where U.S. loans had been exchanged for the right to choose the head of customs. The policy was carried out in Central America and China by Taft's secretary of state, Philander C. Knox. To Knox, it meant the use of trade and commerce to increase a nation's diplomatic influence. This policy was often used to justify keeping European powers out of the Caribbean.

President Woodrow Wilson repudiated the policy in 1913. The last of these policies to be discussed is Woodrow Wilson's "moral diplomacy", which was sometimes referred to as his "missionary diplomacy". According to this policy, the United States had a moral responsibility to deny recognition to any Latin American government it viewed as oppressive, undemocratic, or hostile to U.S. interests. Wilson's policy pressured nations in the Western Hemisphere to establish democratic governments.

Wilson's policy was almost immediately put to the test when the Mexican Revolution came about. In 1913, the President told Congress that there could be no peace in Mexico while Victoria no Huerta ruled as dictator. Wilson declared that the United States "can have no sympathy with those who seek to seize the powers of government to advance their own personal interests or ambition". Due to all of these policies, the United States was able to spread their influence to other parts of the world. The original Monroe Doctrine, issued by President James Monroe in 1823, warned other nations against expanding their influence in Latin America.

However, the Roosevelt Corollary asserted that the U.S. had a right to exercise international police power in the Western Hemisphere. By staying on top of things, the United States has proven to be a country that has been successful at gaining power and spreading its influence across the nations. These polices still play an important role in American history and we can find many modern imitations of these policies which are used in similar situations, only they could never be as important as the three policies which have obviously played a big part in the United States' quest for power.