William Howard Taft, who was president from 1909-1913, transformed the country with new plans and proposals that were extremely different than those that had come before him. Previously, foreign policy had been defined only by the size and power of an army, but Taft sought to help other nations along with the United States. The most important idea of Taft’s presidency was the reform of the country’s foreign policy, the dollar diplomacy, that radically changed the way the United States interacted with other nations, as they went from strong military presences to providing economic support in the form of loans to other countries to improve relations.
Following a long line of presidents who favored a strong military in order to succeed in foreign …show more content…
This began in 1823 when the Monroe Doctrine was passed in order to prohibit European countries to colonize Latin America. Nicaragua was the country that Taft’s foreign policy plan affected. At the beginning of his presidency, the relations with Nicaragua weren’t friendly, which was a result of the United States building a canal in Panama instead of Nicaragua. But once the United States helped the rebels in the country overthrow their ruler, the U.S was able to offer a loan in order to help the economy. According to the Knox-Castrillo Treaty, the United States provided 15 million dollars to Nicaragua in return for control of the custom house to keep track of loans, the right to maintain order in the country, and granted American banks access to the National Bank of Nicaragua and the railroads. Taft’s plan for his foreign policy was to peacefully intervene in countries and come to an agreement that would help all nations involved, which is demonstrated in Nicaragua. They were supplied with a loan to rebuild their country after the economic turmoil, and the United States gained a prosperous relationship with the …show more content…
This plan made sure that European involvement was permanently kept out of the Western Hemisphere while ensuring that the United States would dominate as a world power through their increased influence in other countries. In Nicaragua, the involvement helped in their development of their economics and politics. In his 1912 State of the Union Address, he said that his Dollar Diplomacy let Latin American countries “enter upon an era of peace and prosperity, bringing profit and happiness to themselves and at the same time creating conditions sure to lead to a flourishing interchange of trade with this country”. This points to the main principle of the Dollar Diplomacy, which was to help other struggling nations and not just the U.S.. In China, Taft’s plan helped to construct railroads that would greatly help with the development of the country. Despite sometimes being named solely as a way to improve the United States’ economy while taking advantage of the needs of smaller countries, the Dollar Diplomacy truly helped to facilitate the economic growth of other
Following a long line of presidents who favored a strong military in order to succeed in foreign …show more content…
This began in 1823 when the Monroe Doctrine was passed in order to prohibit European countries to colonize Latin America. Nicaragua was the country that Taft’s foreign policy plan affected. At the beginning of his presidency, the relations with Nicaragua weren’t friendly, which was a result of the United States building a canal in Panama instead of Nicaragua. But once the United States helped the rebels in the country overthrow their ruler, the U.S was able to offer a loan in order to help the economy. According to the Knox-Castrillo Treaty, the United States provided 15 million dollars to Nicaragua in return for control of the custom house to keep track of loans, the right to maintain order in the country, and granted American banks access to the National Bank of Nicaragua and the railroads. Taft’s plan for his foreign policy was to peacefully intervene in countries and come to an agreement that would help all nations involved, which is demonstrated in Nicaragua. They were supplied with a loan to rebuild their country after the economic turmoil, and the United States gained a prosperous relationship with the …show more content…
This plan made sure that European involvement was permanently kept out of the Western Hemisphere while ensuring that the United States would dominate as a world power through their increased influence in other countries. In Nicaragua, the involvement helped in their development of their economics and politics. In his 1912 State of the Union Address, he said that his Dollar Diplomacy let Latin American countries “enter upon an era of peace and prosperity, bringing profit and happiness to themselves and at the same time creating conditions sure to lead to a flourishing interchange of trade with this country”. This points to the main principle of the Dollar Diplomacy, which was to help other struggling nations and not just the U.S.. In China, Taft’s plan helped to construct railroads that would greatly help with the development of the country. Despite sometimes being named solely as a way to improve the United States’ economy while taking advantage of the needs of smaller countries, the Dollar Diplomacy truly helped to facilitate the economic growth of other