Imperialism and Foreign Policy Flashcards
Grade 11 · Social Studies · Flashcards
Key terms for US imperialism, the Spanish-American War, and early 20th century foreign policy doctrines.
Flashcards
- Yellow journalism
- Sensationalist press (Hearst/Pulitzer) that exaggerated Spanish atrocities and blamed Spain for the USS Maine explosion to build war fever in 1898.
- USS Maine
- US battleship that exploded in Havana Harbor Feb. 15, 1898 (likely accidental); blamed on Spain and used as justification for the Spanish-American War.
- Spanish-American War (1898)
- 10-week US-Spain war; US victory gave America Puerto Rico, Guam, and the Philippines; made the US a world power.
- Platt Amendment (1901)
- US-imposed condition on Cuban independence giving the US the right to intervene in Cuba and a permanent naval base at Guantanamo Bay.
- Filipino-American War (1899–1902)
- Brutal guerrilla conflict after the US decided to keep the Philippines; ~200,000–600,000 Filipino deaths; 4,200 Americans killed.
- Roosevelt Corollary (1904)
- TR's extension of the Monroe Doctrine: the US will intervene in Latin American nations that fail to maintain order or repay debts.
- Panama Canal
- US-built waterway completed 1914; acquired after TR supported Panamanian independence from Colombia; transformed global shipping.
- Dollar Diplomacy
- Taft's policy of extending US influence through financial investment and economic leverage rather than military force alone.
- Anti-Imperialist League
- 1898 organization opposing Philippine annexation; argued colonial rule violated American founding principles of consent of the governed.
- Alfred Thayer Mahan
- Naval strategist whose 1890 book argued that national power required a strong navy, overseas bases, and control of sea lanes — influenced TR and US expansionism.
- Social Darwinism
- Pseudo-scientific ideology applying Darwin's survival of the fittest to human societies; used to justify US imperial expansion as Anglo-Saxon civilization's 'divine mission.'
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