3. Protecting Our Interests
At the same time as acquiring these nations, the need to protect the ever growing commercial and military interests abroad by installing pro-American regimes in places like Nicaragua became a priority. Playing a major role in international diplomacy regarding the Western presence in China also worked toward America being seen as a serious player on the world stage.
By the time World War I came around, America showed just how influential it had become by playing a significant part in ending the conflict when President Wilson attended the Paris Peace Conference and helped negotiate peace. This flexing of America’s military and diplomatic muscle would eventually lead to Wilson creating the League of Nations, the precursor of the United Nations, to promote peace and global cooperation.
Despite Wilson’s efforts to change the global political landscape by putting America at the forefront, Congress still had a largely isolationist outlook and decided to block America from joining the League of Nations, effectively dooming it. As during the Great Depression and the rise of Hitler in Germany, America was more focused on domestic affairs rather than European. This would not last as war was again brewing in Europe and beyond.
