The Monroe Doctrine

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The Monroe Doctrine is one of the most recognized statements of a change in foreign policy in American history. It was written in 1821, shortly after the War of 1812. The Monroe Doctrine helped the world view the U.S. as a world power, and was met with content by the American people. It was viewed as a defining moment in the foreign policy of the United States. It was a warning to European powers that emerged from the Congress of Vienna and the Holy Alliance. The western hemisphere was now off limits to Europe, and the doctrine made the U.S. the ‘policeman’ of Latin America. Although this made the U.S. seem like it wanted freedom for this nations, the U.S. wanted economic and political power in the region, and did not actually have any desire …show more content…
In addition, the U.S. obtained Puerto Rico from Spain and began an occupation of Cuba that lasted until 1902.The doctrine also ensured the U.S. will only be involved in European affairs if American’s rights are at risk. This was exemplified when JQA and Monroe left Europe to deal with conflicts in Spain and Greece. The Monroe Doctrine also helped the U.S. ensure that they would have no interference in their westward expansion. The Monroe Doctrine allowed the U.S. to become an imperial power with no interference from more powerful European imperialists, and as stated before, allowed it to gain a large amount of influence, and take over parts of Latin America and the Caribbean. This is how the Monroe Doctrine changed foreign policy ideas in the U.S. in the 19th …show more content…
This was shown in the Roosevelt Corollary. In it, Roosevelt said chaos in a small country could necessarily lead to the intervention of a great power, and that the great power would always be the U.S. Applications of it include military intervention in Nicaragua, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. However, Latin Americans felt the U.S. was more of a bully or puppeteer, and would rather have European intervention. The Monroe Doctrine also had effects in the 20th century. It was used in the Cold War, when the Cuban Revolution established a socialist regime with ties to the Soviet Union, it was argued that the spirit of the Monroe Doctrine should be again invoked because there was a connection to the Soviet Union. The doctrine was eventually invoked in 1962, when John F. Kennedy spoke the following, “The Monroe Doctrine means what it has meant since President Monroe and John Quincy Adams enunciated it, and that is that we would oppose a foreign power extending its power to the Western Hemisphere, and that is why we oppose what is happening in Cuba today. That is why we have cut off our trade. That is why we worked in the Organization of American States and in other ways to isolate the Communist menace in Cuba. That is why we will continue to give a good deal of our effort and attention to

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