A Cultural Timeline of Imperialism (and how it has come to be applicable to American economic and capitalist values today)
By krishish
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Old Imperialism (The roots of Imperialism as a whole)
To try to find different trade routes to Asia, European nations set up colonies in the Americas, India, South Africa and the East Indies as well as territory they’d gained along the coasts of Africa and China. Personal motives by rulers, statesmen, explorers, and missionaries at this time supported the early imperial belief of “Glory, God and Gold.” -
Purchase of Louisiana
Thomas Jefferson purchases the Louisiana territory from France for $15 million. Many argue that this was a part of the beginning of American Imperialism. -
The Monroe Doctrine
Although the name of the doctrine was actually coined in 1850, the doctrine itself was issued in 1823. It addressed America’s foreign policy matters and declared that any attempts by European nations to colonize or interfere with states in North or South America would be perceived as acts of aggression requiring US intervention. This doctrine would go on to be used to justify the US’s imperialist actions later on, including their annexation of Hawaii. -
'Democracy in America' published by Alexis de Tocqueville
The roots of American imperialism are also in American exceptionalism (the idea that the US is different to other countries due to its' culture prioritizing the values of democracy and freedom); this theory is often traced back to the French observer Tocqueville, who in his book described America to be a unique nation, “proceeding along a path to which no limit can be perceived.” -
Imperialism and the Industrial Revolution
Prior to this, the idea of colonialism had declined as rulers thought the costs outweighed the benefits. However, in the Victorian Era, Great Britain became an industrial giant and provided more than a quarter of the world’s output of industrial goods, followed by France. This was also the time of the Industrial Revolution, and it motivated many European countries once again to pursue aggressively expanding their territory overseas. -
America's Return to Practicing Imperialism
Following the terror and destruction of the Civil War, the US once again began to seek to expand their territory in Asia and the Pacific. -
The Alaska Treaty
The United States bought Alaska from the Russians for $7.2 million, expanding its territory and economic gains through the future collection of taxes from Alaskans.This purchase also signalled the end of Russian attempts to expand trade and settlements to North America’s Pacific coast, and helped America to progress towards becoming a great power in the Asia-Pacific region by giving them access to the Pacific rim. -
New Imperialism
Western countries, including America, adopted a new policy of New Imperialism for political, military, economic, humanitarian and religious reasons as well as advances in technology and the theory of Social Darwinism. Economic reasons included the global expansion of markets, the need for raw materials (coal, oil, rubber etc), and a new source of investments. State intervention in economic affairs also returned as a result of new imperialism, however. -
The Division of China by Imperialist Powers
Western nations began dividing up Chinese territories within themselves into spheres of influence. The British, French, German and Russian forces were involved in this. The US was not involved, as it had feared that foreign spheres of influence could hurt US commerce, which had begun to slowly grow. -
The McKinley Tariff Act
William McKinley, a member of the Republican party and in the US House of Representatives from Ohio, introduced a tariff bill that called for taxes to be put on imported foreign goods. This would make imported goods more expensive than simply purchasing the equivalents from American businesses, and protect growing American industries from foreign competition. The American economy's strength today is in part because of this tariff, as it helped to foster the growth of American businesses. -
Annexation of Hawaii
The US's annexation of Hawaii allowed them to seize control of Hawaii’s ports, military equipment, buildings, harbours and public property. This helped to expand America’s territory as it eventually resulted in Hawaii becoming America’s 50th state in 1959, which means that America would benefit from Hawaii’s economy through her ownership of the land, and still continues to do so today. -
The Spanish-American War
The 10-week war between Spain and America, which Spain lost. This led to the 1898 Treaty of Paris, which favoured America and allowed the US to temporarily control Cuba and indefinitely assert colonial authority over Guam, Puerto Rico and the Philippines. This marked the end of the Spanish empire and allowed America to expand its' territory and economy into these countries through controlling them. -
The Open Door Policy Proposal
American Secretary of State (John Hay) proposed Open Door policy in China as an effort to ensure equal trading rights for all + reduce discrimination between nations in their spheres. Although the foreign powers accepted his idea in principle, they did not intend to apply it. -
Establishment of the US Virgin Islands
The US struck a deal with Denmark to claim ownership of the Virgin Islands (Danish West Indies at the time) and succeeded. As a result, the Danish West Indies became the US Virgin Islands, and fell under America's control. -
Post-WWI: America's Economic Crisis
The economic crisis in America following the war (1914-1918) reduced the value of the dollar, and drastically increased unemployment rates. American capitalism also called for wages to be reduced significantly. This prompted the US to seek an imperialist solution to the crisis. -
Imperialist Solution
The United States had, in the last five years, managed to occupy Nicaragua and Costa Rica, and introduced ‘a military dictatorship in these states’. (“Labour Leader,” October 21st, 1920.) This helped transfer those countries' wealth to the American economy. Additionally, the US had invested its capital in foreign countries, including England, Denmark, and South America. American capitalists bought up shares and enterprises throughout all of Europe for low prices. -
The Presence of Cultural Imperialism in America
Joseph Nye publishes a Political Science article in which he describes how "Whether concerning the instant familiarity of Hollywood or the phenomenon of jeans, “the United States… has a universalistic popular culture” and its influence on the media, stating America has the power to "fix the premises of discourse and interpretation, and the definition of what is newsworthy in the first place". This shows how America's opinion influences major parts of the world and mildly controls global opinion. -
Anglo-American Invasion of Iraq
Under false claims of Iraq hiding "weapons of mass destruction", the US and England invaded it and declared war. It is argued that the war was carried out as part of America's long-term strategy to reorganize the Middle East in order to seize control over its resources. Although the lies were later exposed, this war proved the presence of imperialism in American society during the early 21st century. -
UN's Special Committee on Decolonization releases resolution report
UN’s Special Committee on Decolonization stated in the resolution report that it was ultimately “for the people of the Virgin Islands to determine freely their future political status.'' , having previously classified the US Virgin Islands as part of the world’s “Non-Self-Governing Territories”. This shows how America's history of colonizing territories and imperialism is still active today and affects its' foreign relations. -
Canada Adopts "America first" Foreign Policy
The US State Department revealed in a memo that has now been declassified that Canada had adopted an "America first" foreign policy. This meant that Canada would prioritize good relations with the US more than any other country, and would act accordingly, providing further proof of the presence of imperialism in America. The US boasting about Canada's policy in its memo suggests it is aware of the influence it exerts over the decisions of other countries, and controls them to an extent. -
Works Cited
On a separate attachment.
