Development US after the Civil War. Monroe Doctrine. American expansionism at the end of the 19 cent.

The C.War worked a revolution in Am. Society and economy. That conflict gave an immense stimulus to industry, speeded up the exploitation of natural resources, the development of large-scale manufacturing, the rise of investment banking, the extension of foreign trade. But the abolition of slavery did not ensure equality for the former slaves. The legislatures in the southern states began to pass “black codes” to restrict the freedom of former slaves. However, radical opponents of slavery in Congress tried to protect the rights of former slaves and this led to a conflict between them and president Andrew Johnson. The confrontation made the radicals start impeachment procedures against the president, though they failed. The Reconstruction of southern states continued up to 1877.Reconstruction brought new woes and new burdens. The defeated South turned to the task of physical reconstruction and rehabilitation of its agricultural economy and the restoration of the institutions of civilized society. Farmers and negroes had no money. In the result share-crop system: the farmer provided the negroes with the necessary tools and housing and the latter received, in return,1/3 of the crop.”Carpetbaggers”-groups of blacks which governed southern states, cooperative whites and transplanted Northerners.Ku Klux Klan-secret terrorist organization of whites against reconstruction. Klansmen intimidated and killed the blacks. The blacks were now “second-class citizens. The important inventions-the telephone by Alexander Bell, the photograph, the electric light bulb by Thomas Edison, motion picture etc.

Monroe doctrine

During the early 19cent Central and South America turned to revolution. Napoleon’s conquest of Spain in 1808 provided the signal for Latin Am-ns to rise in revolt against the Spanish colonizers in Lat. Am-a.A vast territory had won independence from the mother country. In 1822 President James Monroe recognized the new countries of Latin Am-a. Russia, Prussia and Austria formed the Holly Alliance to protect themselves against revolution. When the Alliance announced its intension of restoring the former colonies to Spain and Russia took moves to consolidate its hold to the South of Alaska, President Monroe in 1823 declared to Congress that the US would not tolerate any further extension of European domination in the Am-a. It became known as the Monroe Doctrine declaring that the Western hemisphere was within the special interests of the USA and that any action taken by any European power would be regarded as an unfriendly disposition toward the US.

Expansion

In 1867 at the instigation of the US Secretary of State William Seward the USA purchased Alaska. It gave access to the tremendous natural resources of the newly territory. But many Ams did not appreciate the importance of Alaska. They considered it as mistake, known as “Seward’s Folly», «Continent of Ice». Soon opinions changed and country derived millions of dollars of profit from exploitation of natural wealth. America began to expanse beyond the seas. the 1^st step-the seizure of the Hawaiian Islands(1898)with Pearl Harbour as a naval base. After the American battleship Maine was blown up in Havana harbor in 1898,the Ams declared war on Spain. The war lasted 10 weeks and ended in the defeat of Spain. Under the peace treaty signed in Paris in the same year, the USA annexed Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines. Cuba turned into a colony of the USA. In 1903 the US obtain a site for a military base at Guantanamo Bay which is held to this very day. Proclaiming an Open Door policy to China the US demanded that Ams had the right to share the economic privileges and territ-al concession in China together with the European colonial powers. After Th.Roosvelt in 1901 succeeded to the presidency, Am. foreign policy centered on the new insular possessions and the Panama gateway which was primarily a consequence of the Spanish-American war.The Panama canal(Colombia) could solve the problem of quickly transferring the Am.navy from one ocean to another.in autumn 1903the USA recognized the Independence of Republic Panama .The US get rights to dig a canal across the Isthmus.The new Panama Canal Companu received 40million $ to undertake the construction of the canal.in 1914-1^st vessels passed through the canal. By granting loans to the Latin American states the US established political and economic domination over them. William Taft called this policy “dollar diplomacy». In 1912 the Democrat Woodrow Wilson won the reselection.

Date: 2015-12-24; view: 906