American Foreign Policy 1900-present

1
American Foreign Policy 1900-present

• A Brief Outline

2
Events that Shaped American Foreign Policy from
1900-present

• Isolationism after Spanish American War
• World War I (1914-1918)
• Return to Isolationism (1918-1941)
• World War II (1941-1945)
• Cold War (1945-1989)
• Korean War/Cuban Missile Crises/Vietnam War
  (1950-1973)
• Persian Gulf War (1990-1991)
• 9/11 and the War in Iraq (9/11/01 present)

3
Pre WWI Isolationism Focal Points

• Develop strong economy
• Build infrastructure in new lands
• Return to isolationism

4
World War I American Involvement

• 1916
• Woodrow Wilsons Pledge keep us out of war
• Wins election
• 1917
• RMS Lusitania sunk by German U-boats
• 128 Americans killed
• Wilson wants to make the world safe for
  democracy.
• Therefore, we join the war.

5
America at end of WWI1919

• Pres. Wilson goes to Versailles, France to sign
  peace treaty.
• Wilson asks for League of Nations to be formed
• Democracies should work together to ensure world
  peace.

6
WWI Aftermath

• League of Nations is turned down by Congress
• L. of Nations would force us into war to protect
  other countries.
• Congress wants to return to isolationism
• Therefore, League of Nations is established
• USA is not a member!
• We are neutral again.until WWII

7
Isolation years in America.1920s

• Roaring 1920-1929
• Good times
• Economic boom!
• 1929
• Stock Market Crash

8
Isolation Years in America1930s to WWII

• 1930-1937
• Great Depression!
• 1937-1941
• US making money again
• Sell goods to Europe while it destroys itself
  again.

9
U.S Foreign Policy argument in 1940

• FDR (Democrat)
• Believed US should be involved in Europe to stop
  Hitler
• Republican Congress
• Wanted to keep America isolated
• What does this mean for Europe?

10
Europe in 1940
11
Pearl HarborDecember 7,1941
12
End of WWII.boom!
13
End of WWIIbeginning of Cold War

• Main goal of US after WWII
• Expand democracy to keep Communism from
  spreading!
• 1947
• POTUS Truman signs the Truman Doctrine
• Declares U.S. foreign policy containment of
  Communism
• How?
• Keep democracies for becoming Communist
• So, America has to be the leader in this war,
  right??

14
1949Communism v. Capitalism
15
America vs. Communism

• 1950
• Korean War breaks out
• North Korea Communism
• South Korea Capitalist
• Capitalists win
• 1959
• Fidel Castro takes over Cuba
• Makes it Communist
• 1961-1973
• Vietnam War
• North Vietnam Communism
• South Vietnam Capitalism
• Communists win

16
Cuban Missile Criseshow the world almost got
blown up!

• 1963 (6 days of Terror)
• Russia started moving nuclear weapons to Cuba.
• Castro liked annoying the US.
• POTUS JFK
• Told Russia to take weapons out of Cuba or else
  we would blow it off the face of the Earth!
• And we waited.

17
And we waited.
18
Cold War Thaws Out1963-1989

• 1963
• Russia finally takes weapons out of Cuba.
• This scary moment leads to détente
• Stop using nuclear weapons to promote foreign
  policy.
• Russia and USA slow down nuclear weapon making.
• 1989
• Russia falls apart
• Communism ends in USSR.

19
Persian Gulf War1990-1991

• Iraq leader Saddam Hussein orders attacks Kuwait
• Wants to take control of their oil fields
• POTUS Bush I
• Sends in US Army to free Kuwait
• Why?
• We want control of the oil!

20
Persian Gulf War ends.or does it?

• 1991
• Hussein orders retreat out of Kuwait.
• US troops come home.
• Hussein stays in power.
• Does this make sense?

21
9/11 Attacks lead to us going back to fight
terrorists.right?

• Al-Qaeda is from where?
• From Afghanistan
• POTUS Bush II
• Sends US military to Iraq?
• We kick out Saddam Hussein
• Start a new democratic government.
• What about the terrorists?

22
War in Afghanistan, to find the terrorists!