Foreign Relation Policies
Foriegn Affair Policies
SIA
This page will focus on the three main foreign policies used by Presidents around the years of 1900 to 1916. The page will discuss Roosevelt's big stick policy, Taft's dollar diplomacy policy and Wilson's moral diplomacy policy.
Big Stick Policy
Many Americans agreed with Roosevelt's big stick policy. The policy stated that the strong countries like the United States had a duty to carry out the 'most regrettable but necessary international police duty which must be performed for the sake of the welfare of mankind.' This meant that the United States could protect smaller nations. It also meant that the United States had the right to go into a country and solve it's problems whether the country wanted help or not. Venezuela asked for the United States help when British, German and Italian ships attacked. The US used their international police duty and saved the day. Other times the big stick policy was used to make things like the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine. This allowed even more international police duty. Soon, the United States was convinced it could do anything that it wanted in the world. This policy did not work becuase most countries did not like sacrificing all of their rights and independance for United States' protection.
Dollar Diplomacy
President Taft had a different idea for foreign policy. Taft wanted to avoid military conflicts all-together. He believed that if enough Americans invested money in a nation, America would then have enough control to influence the decisions of that nation. This policy was first triedin China. It had little impact because the United States did not make investments large enough to change the balance of power. Dollar diplomacy was able to be applied in Latin America.
Moral Diplomacy
Although President Wilson had very little interest in foeign affairs, an unstable world order caused foreign affairs to be the main issue of his presidency. Moral diplomacy was actually the creation of Wilson's Secretary of State, William Jennings Brian. The basis of moral diplomacy is to use negotiations and arbitrations when dealing with foreign nations. They hoped that, in the future, colonial empires would be replaced by independant nations with democratic governments. Moral diplomacy was used to prevent wars and to secure American economic interests in foreign nations. Moral diplmacy worked in China but was not successful dealing with Japanese relations.
That's a run-through of the main points of the three different foreign policy ideas. Moral Diplomacy was the most successful which is just more proof that you catch more flies with honey. Other countries are not stupid and Wilson understood that.
Created by Shira Levy
