The Period 1881-1919 Marked a Fundamental Change in American Foreign Policy - Essay Example

The changes were from all fields and in all sections of the society from the working class to the service class. These changes lead to the development of the country and give a  different direction to the business and trade policies of the country.

The low-class people also needed some work to earn their living. This made people from various countries migrate to the United States.

            This migration caused a point of concern for the local skilled worker class. Thus protests were carried out against the migration and foreign policies to make some changes. Thus the working class was divided into northern European skilled workers and southern and eastern unskilled European workers. This diversification was not only among the working class but also among the educated service class. The racial difference was set between the white native Americans and the black African Americans. Racism was started among white and black people. Poverty was so increased that women and children were also supposed to work in factories to satisfy their basic needs.

            In the late nineteenth century, a new managerial class evolved. This class comprised white-collar people and army people. The major population of this group was from the middle class and basically were those people who work between executives of the company and white-collar workers. As new technology introduced typewriters in the offices the office work was increased. Women were given more preference because they work for low wages and also can earn more money in a shorter time.

The late nineteenth century was the era of progressivism. The progressive movement was based on the concepts of social justice, greater efficiency in government, and social control. The people thought that the government should become more active regarding democratic reforms and in protecting laborers. William McKinley was the president at that time. McKinley was the 25th president of the United States Of America. To increase the American colonial power he fought the Spanish-American war. The main point of attraction of the progressive movement was cities. Civilized cities were the main aim of the progressive movement. The urban population wanted cities to be better and safer places to live. The progressive movement was started by the local government and then moved to the upper-level government.

Theodore Roosevelt, a young man with great political experience became the 26th president of the United States Of America. He was the youngest president with the age of forty only. His personality reflected as activist and moralist due to his policies. He won a noble peace prize for negotiating an end to the Russo-Japanese war and preserving an open-door policy in China.

            Foreign policies like the Monroe doctrine and an open-door policy were proved to be beneficial for American trade. In the late nineteenth, America’s foreign policies were dependent on these two policies only. The Monroe doctrine declared the western hemisphere off-limits to European colonization and acted as its protector. The open-door policy allowed China to carry trade with all countries and China will be free from colonial domination.

            Woodrow Wilson was the governor of New Jersey and became the president of the United States in 1912. He started the Federal Reserve Act in 1913. This act provided the control of the government over banking. He also introduced Federal Trade Commission Act that regulated the trade by taking a commission from these trade corporations. He appointed a commissioner to regulate these trades affairs. The appointment of these commissioners was not liked by progressives.

            After the first world war, there was an insecure feeling among the people. To overcome this feeling president Warren G. Harding gave the concept of Normalcy which said that what America needed after the war is to return back to normal life and concentrate on developing business and trade in the country. Harding with his sense of humor and optimistic nature helped the country to return to normalcy. Under the presidency of Harding, the immigrations were less. The American’s felt threatened by the foreigners. A quota bill was passed that limited the number of people from Southern and Eastern Europeans to enter the United States.

These were the major causes that affected the United States' foreign policy.