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The Monroe Doctrine told the European countries: not in my backyard (nimby). NIMBY tells the European's to stay out of the Western world.
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In this war, the Chinese make a bad move and fight at sea. Britain, the greatest naval power in the world, destroys the Chinese and gains trading and extraterritorial rights. The British also send a message to China with their victory: while you guys have been isolated, the rest of the world has been industrializing.
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When Commodore Perry shows up in Japan with huge steam ships, the Japanese have no idea what they are and feel intimidated. Commodore Perry then tells them that he will be back later with six steam ships. This, scaring the Japanese even more, forcfes them to conceed to Commodore Perry and give the US extraterritorial rights.
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After the newspapers suceed in forcing the US into war with Spain, the US quickly wins the war. The war was fought on two fronts and the Spainish gave up key territories after they were defeated.
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The Mexican Revolution marks the beginning of a series of changes in power from caudillos to presidents promoting la reforma.
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The Panama Canal, a canal that cuts through central America, made the boat trip from the east coast to the west coast (and visa versa) much shorter. This saved tons of money in ship fuel and makes the length of the trip much shorter.
