THE USA SINCE 1918 : FROM ISOLATIONISM TO LEADERSHIP
Introduction :
From 1918 to our days, the world can see an incredible evolution in his commitment. The first world war enabled the USA to commit militarly in Europe for the first time of his history. But it’s only after the 2nd world war that they assume fully his role of global power.
Today, they are still the leader, even if this domination is less obvious since the cold war’s end.
First, we gonna study the position of the american policy until World War II. Then, we are going to see its domination after this conflict and during the ideology war against the USSR. Finally, we will finish this analysis with the american superpower which is progressively getting less involved in wars.
Question : How the USA achieved to be a superpower from 1918 to our days ?
Plan : I 1918-1945: from isolationism to interventionism
II 1947-1991: a superpower in the Cold War
III From 1991 to our days : a superpower that seeks to delegate
Development :
I - 1918-1945: from isolationism to interventionism
1- An isolationist foreign policy 1918-1932
The US went at war in april 1917 with an aim: to put an end to this World War and then, to restore a lasting peace, based on law and collective security. For this he made a program developed in 14 points. The war had a huge cost for the US: economically and humainly. In 1919, president Woodrow Wilson came to Paris to lead the peace conference. He was the first american president to come to Europe. The isolationism seemed to be past.
But the Versailles Treaty was not what Wilson wanted it to be, too tough for Germany according to him. However, he succeded in including the League Of Nations pact. But the American Senate voted against the enter of the US in it. That was a failure for Wilson and a bad point for the collective security. Warren Harding, elected in 1920 made an isolationist policy and strenghtened immigrations laws.
Despite the return to isolationist policies, the US had an influence around the world. This influence is caused by the economical supremacy. The dollar was the most important currency in the World. Americans firms were implanted on other continents, US was the creditor of Europe. What shows that US played an overriding role in the world’s economy is the 1929’s crisis. The american way of life was also spreading in developed countries.
2- To an interventionist foreign policy 1933-1946
In the first year of his presidency, Franklin Roosevelt (1933-1945) had a policy aimed at puting an end to the crisis in the US called the “New Deal”. He gived less importance to internationnal cooperation. In the early 30’s, Roosevelt didn’t take care about the rise of fascism and nazism in Europe. But, in 1937, he realized that Hitler and Mussolini policies might be dangerous for the world peace. Japan expansion also threatened US interests in the Pacific Ocean. That is the sense of the “Quarantine Speech” in October 1937 in Chicago.
Then, the United States progressively entered in the world conflict by restablishing conscription, lending money to the Allies. Roosevelt signed, in 1941, with Winston Churchill, the United Kingdom prime minister, the Atlantic Chart to restablish a peace based on law. Pearl Harbor japanese attack in december 1941 made the US go at war. The US entry at war has been a turning point because of the Victory Program (huge human and economical help) which led to the German(8may45) and Japanese capitulation(2sept45) after nuclear bombings in Hiroshima and Nagasaki the August 6th 1945 and Nagasaki the August 9th 1945.
After the war, US really appeared as a great power. They had an economic supremacy and their ex-allies were grateful. Roosevelt benefited of this power to organize collective security as Wilson wanted. US hosted in 1944 the Bretton Woods conference which was aimed at organizing the world economy. In 1945, during San Francisco’s conference has been created the United Nations (UN). The head office is in New York and the USA were, and are still member of the security council, that shows the preponderant role of the USA in the international relationships. The “Grand Alliance” will rapidly burst because of the ideological disagreements.
II - From 1947 to 1991: a superpower in the Cold War
Why the cold war represents a turning point in the american policy?
1- A decisive change
First, there was a decisive change with the “Grand Alliance” break. Indeed, USSR did not agree with the american project about a united world ruled by liberal democracy. Staline worried about the major role of the USA in global economy’s building. In 1945, the USSR paralyzed the UN by using their veto right. The first and last military intervention of the United Nations in the Cold War was during the Korean War, from 1950 to 1953.
In this decisive change, there was also the commitment of the USA against Soviet attitude. They wanted to defend the ”free world” against communism.
2- The United-States, leader of the free world
The USA presented themselves as the free world leader. Harry Truman, president from 1945 to 1953, helped Western Europe economically, with the Marshall plan in 1947, and militarily with Atlantic Alliance in 1949. American army installed many basis in NATO countries. De Gaulle disliked the American supremacy and went out of NATO in 1966, but stayed in the Atlantic Alliance.
In 1948, the American states organization assembled the continent under the direction of Washington. All forms of socialism were considered as a threat which allowed the intervention of the USA. In 1962, John Fitzgerald Kennedy forced the USSR to remove the missiles of Cuba, but he had to accept the Fidel Castro’s government, ally of Moscow.
In the world, the USA were present everywhere. In the Middle East, America supported Israel, and made secure their oil provision based on Saudi Arabia and Iran until 1979. In Asia, they defended southern Korea against communism in 1950-1953, and Vietnam after. Africa became a land of confrontation with the USSR at the end of 70’. The competition was also in the space, and the USA won because they were the first country to send a man on the moon in 1969, or in sport with the boycott of the 1980 Olympic games by the USA and the 1984’s by the soviet countries.
3- The peak of the United States
The Cold War also represents a peak for the USA with his military and economic power. The Cold War made the USA a superpower, in permanent rivalry with the USSR. This last one had the atomic weapon in 1949, and they commited themselves in the arms race with the USSR. American economy benefited also from free trade promoted by GATT (general agreement on tariffs and trade).
The american “way of life” , mixing freedom and prosperity, was a model for everybody in the Western countries.
The Americans had never been as sure on themselves as in the 1950’s. The economic crisis in the 70’s created some tensions with European and Japanese allies. Then, Ronald Reagan, president from 1980 to 1988, gave back trust to America adopting a hard line against the USSR, qualified as “evil empire”.
III - From 1991 to our days : a superpower that seeks to delegate
1-The failure of the new world order
The USA were the only winner of the Cold War, which ended in 1991 with the USSR’s fall. The end of the Cold War and the fall of the communist enemy made the USA an hyperpower (word used for the first time by a french politician, Hubert Vedrine), which is a country who is dominating in every areas. (political, military, economy….)
Referring to the president’s Wilson 14 points, the USA wanted a world ruled by law and diplomacy. George Bush, president from 1989 to 1992, called that idea “The new world order”. It’s a program that he announced in 1990, aimed at establishing a collective security with the USA in the leader’s role. The end of the Cold War also meant that the United Nations were’nt paralyzed and could have a real influence. The invasion of Koweit by Sadam Hussein’s Iraq in was immediatly condemned by the UN. It had led to the invasion of Iraq by the NATO. That invasion was directed by the USA. To Bush, Gulf War was a test for the new world order. But the problem was that they let Hussein gain the control of the Kurdish population of Iraq.
2- The temptation of unilateralism
The 09/11/01 bombings by Al Qaida at New York (Planes in the Twin Towers) has been a real shock for the United States, and a turning point for the foreign policy : the unilaterism started. They started the war on terror after those bombings, and the national security was getting more important from days to days (ex : in airport). So they started two wars in Middle East : 2001 in Afghanistan, with the support of the UN and the NATO. And after in 2003 they invaded Iraq without UN’s agreement, and even of some allies countries such as France or Germany. Hussein was accused of terrorism by the USA and hanged in 2003.
Some events weakened them, like how they impose evil treatments to Iraq prisoners and in the Guantanamo camp. Antiamericanism has increased very fast and they are more and more criticized. They ‘ve been weakened by the economic crisis which started in 2007 and which is going on.
3- Back to multilateralism
The Obama’s election marked the return at a multilateralism foreign policy, with the removal of the American troops in Iraq and part of the troops in Afghanistan. Obama marked his multilateralism policy giving more importance to UN, to sustainable development’s negociation, and to economic government.
They want to keep the first role in the world. If Obama marked his attachment to human rights, taking his distance with his predecessor, George Bush. That is aimed at restoring the American model. His status of first black president improved the image of the USA and so strenghtened the “soft power”. They have a huge influence around the world in culture, way of life, precursors in the digital era(Microsoft, Apple..) between others. They are still ready to act alone, without alerting their allies, like the Ben Laden’s execution in 2011 showed it.
Conclusion:
The USA became a superpower during the twentiest century by imposing their ideology. The rise of this superpower began in 1918, after WWI during which they acquired a big influence. From 1918 to 1945 they changed their foreign policy, from isolationism, with the failure of the President Wilson fourteen points, to interventionnism, motivated by the rise of facism and nazism in Europe.
After WWII, they entered in the Cold War and started an ideology war against the USSR, with a struggle for influence in many places around the world (Vietnam, Cuba, Korea…). The world was divided into two blocks, each one support by other countries: NATO for the USA and the members of the Warsaw pact for the soviets. The fall of the USSR in 1991 made the USA the only superpower in the world, and the winners of the Cold War.
From 1991 to our days, the soft power is at his peak, the american way of life is a model for many countries. But the program of a new world order announced by Bush in 1990 failed, because of the Gulf War or the conflicts in the Balkans, and so the anti-americanism was growing up, which is showed by the 09/11 bombings in NYC by Al qaida. After that, they went on an unilateralism policy, showed by the war on terror in Afghanistan or the war in Iraq. Obama’s election marked the return on a multilateralism policy, even if they are still ready to act without alerting their allies
But their influence is weakened by their economic rivalry with China, or the espionage revelation made by Edward Snowden or Julian Assange, which shows they are using too much their power, and so it shows that they’re not as strong as they were in the past.