The Monroe Doctrine

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In its preliminary history, The United States adhered to the policy of Isolationism established by the Monroe Doctrine, which proclaimed the Western and Eastern Hemispheres to be their own separate worlds and that one should not interfere in the affairs of the other. The conclusion of WWII and the early beginnings of the Cold War marked a new era of American foreign policy; the United States no longer utilized an isolationist approach to foreign affairs, and assumed the role of “world’s police,” charged with the responsibility of preserving and expanding the influence of democracy throughout the globe. American leadership, at this time, sought to achieve this through the assistance of overseas allies under the North Atlantic Treaty Organization …show more content…
Passed in 1823, the quintessential feature of this legislation identified the Eastern and Western Hemispheres as being their own separate worlds and condemned American involvement in Europe and vice versa. However, the rest of the world scoffed at the naivety of the United States, for it was decidedly impossible for the United States to enforce the Monroe Doctrine with what little power it actually had. Despite this, the Monroe Doctrine became a key aspect of the nation's foreign policy through the 1800s and mid 1900s. Even in the face of both World Wars, America had only thought to remain neutral, and isolated from overseas conflict. In fact, the US had only entered WWI in 1917 British intelligence intercepted the Zimmermann Telegram, which was a secret diplomatic proposal sent by the German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmerman. The Zimmermann Telegram implored Mexico to attack the United States. In exchange, the Mexicans would receive aid from Germany to reclaim the territories that were taken from them after the Mexican-American War. Obviously, American national security had been threatened directly, and action had to be taken. Similarly, the US entered WWII after the attack by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor in 1941 which resulted in roughly 3,000 American casualties, another clear breach of national …show more content…
Under Mao Zedong, China adopted its own Marxist government and joined in an alliance with the Soviets in 1950 under the Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance, and Mutual Assistance. The American people were outraged with the failure in China, and became dissatisfied with their current leader. In the election of 1952, Dwight D. Eisenhower came to the forefront and berated the Democrats for being “soft on communism,” and pledged to bring a swift end to the War in Korea. Eisenhower’s prospective policies resounded with the American people. Consequently, Eisenhower was elected president, and was to serve his term beginning in 1953 as the first republican president in 20 years (since Hoover).
In the final analysis, the cessation of WWII and the emergence of the Cold War drove the US to adopt an interventionist policy in order to prevent the spread of communism which at length, completely shattered the precedent the Monroe Doctrine had
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