19th Century American Foreign Policy

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National Foreign Policy is affected by many factors, but perhaps the most influential factor is national self interest. In other words, the foreign policy of a nation is reflective of what actually benefits the nation the most. Over the course of America’s history it is evident that made decisions were made and based off of the national self interest of our country. So why exactly was it is The United State’s national self interest to become imperialistic, enter World War 1 and then to reject the Treaty of Versailles? Although many thought that an imperialistic America would mean betraying the words of one of the founding fathers, by becoming entangled in foreign politics, imperialism in America was imminent beginning in the 1890’s. After …show more content…
Americans were upset with the trade restrictive blockades set up by France and Britain, but they were even more angered at German submarines who targeted civilian ships, such as the Lusitania. Not only did these submarine attacks kill innocent Americans, but it also lead to heavy financial loss on behalf of America, as none of their merchant ships were being allowed through the German naval blockade. In order to avoid more financial problems, America needed to protect unrestricted free trade in order to keep markets and materials both importing and exporting. Shown in a study conducted by the Bureau of the Census, Americans and America itself had much more money invested in England and France than it did Germany, this meant that if Britain and France lost the war, America and it’s wealthiest citizens would lose a multitude of money, and as a nation just coming out of an economic Panic, Americ could not afford that large of a …show more content…
If Germany won the war, then America would be forced to militarize in order to defend itself, and would be in constant fear of war with Germany. Many prominent people of the time agreed that German militarism was not only a threat to American national security but also to it’s national interest. Colonel House, an American diplomat, politician and presidential advisor, said that there was no good outcome of the war, but German militarism and German control of Europe would be the worst possible outcome. Agreeing with Colonel House, O.T. Barck stated that German control of Europe would threaten the situation and security of
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