Cause and Effects of Spanish American War to the Cold War on American Isolation

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From the time of the Spanish American war until the beginning of the Cold War the United States went from relative isolation to increased global involvement because of 1 utopian thinking, 2 business expansion, and 3 changes in foreign policy. The consequences on American society of that greater involvement were 4 America’s development into an “international police power”.
Edward Bellamy’s book Looking Backward was a projection of American thinking at this time that compounded on widely held belief of millennialism. This book mainly focused on a fictional future utopia one that many Americans wanted to believe in and develop. In this fictional story “… all now enjoy the most favorable conditions of physical life; the young are carefully nurtured and studiously cared for; the labor which is required of all is limited to the period of greatest bodily vigor…” This paints a picture that many want to come true, a picture that many people would go out and act upon and make it happen expand to encompass other spheres of influence and reach all over the world. Bellamy himself thought that America could influence the world going far enough to write about it in his book thinking that his new system of government would draw attention to America and other countries would want to replicate this new efficient system. In some ways he was right he was able to influence many Americans to look toward a brighter future, and this book even gave rise to many movements as “Mr. Edward Bellamy, a novelist by profession, is the recognized father of the Nationalist Clubs,” this book gave Americans hope and a global purpose to accomplish, to create a perfect society.
This idea of hope and equality continued through the years to Woodrow Wilson, he proposed th...

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...n themselves as they see fit.” Explaining to the people of the United States that communism is now the threat. With the Axis defeated now it is time to turn their attention to the threat to freedom.
This new threat begins a continued influence other areas of American involvement such as in the Korean Conflict. The United States aided the Republic of Korea “…to promote world peace and general welfare.” As part of the police power it became, starting with its origins with Theodore Roosevelt, and solidifying its role after the Second World War. With the Gulf War part of the reason the United States intervened was to stop the atrocities of Saddam Hussain on the nation of Kuwait. This example of the Gulf War shows that principles from Theodore Roosevelt Presidency and into Harry Truman’s presidency still continue to affect foreign policy to some degree in America today.

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