ImperialismEmerging as a World Power

What is Imperialism?

A policy in which a strong nation has political, economic or military dominance of a weaker nation

The United States began following the lead of European countries who had added to their colonies and Asia and Africa during the early 1900s

Colonies mean power and money

The imperial country could remove raw materials from the colony and ship them to the home country

This was especially important for countries that were not rich in raw materials like Japan and European countries

Excess of Goods

The United States was not short of raw materials but had a surplus of goods and wanted to expand the market overseas

“Today we are raising more [crops] than we can consume. Today we are making more than we can use…we must find new markets…”

Senator Albert Beveridge

Military Strength

Alfred T. Mahan was a military historian and a Naval officer. He believed that in order for the U.S. to become a world power, the country had to have a strong Navy

He also believed in the need to have foreign bases for refueling purposes

By 1900, the U.S. had the 3rd largest Navy and had modernized its Navy

Social Darwinism

Imperialists used the idea of Social Darwinism (belief that life consists of struggles in which the strong survive) to justify imperialism

This idea also held that certain races and nations were superior to others and were destined to rule inferior cultures and peoples

The idea of Manifest Destiny was tied to the popularity of Social Darwinism

Opening Up the World

Before the Civil War, Japan had opened its trade ports to the United States—not something it had done with anyone else

The U.S. then took control of the Midway Islands and increased trade with Hawaii and received permission to construct a naval base at Pearl Harbor

William Seward (Sec. of State) bought Alaska from Russia and Seward’s Folly turned out to be rich in natural resources including oil and timber

Gold was even found in Alaska