At the dawn of the twentieth century, America was no longer a republic actively fighting for its freedom and survival. It can be described as one of the largest and most developed powers in the world. The foreign and domestic policy of the United States in the early 20th century was based on the desire and desire to take a more influential position on the world stage. The state was preparing for serious and decisive actions for the leading role not only in the economy, but also in politics.
The 43-year-old Theodore Roosevelt was sworn in in 1901 by another unelected and youngest president. His arrival to the White House coincided with the beginning of a new era, not only in American but also in world history, rich in crises and wars.
In the article we will talk about the features of the development of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, the main directions of domestic and foreign policy, social and economic development.
T. Roosevelt administration: domestic policy
Roosevelt, during the oath of office, gave his people a promise that he would continue the domestic and foreign policy of the country in accordance with the course of his predecessor McKinley, tragicallywho died at the hands of the radicals. He assumed that the public anxiety about trusts and monopolies was unfounded and basically aimless, and he expressed doubts about the need for any state restriction. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the president's closest associates were the heads of influential corporations.
The rapid economic development of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century followed the path of limiting natural market competition, which led to a deterioration in the condition of small and medium-sized businesses. The dissatisfaction of the masses was caused by the growth of corruption and the spread of monopolies in the politics and economy of the state. T. Roosevelt tried with all his might to neutralize the growing anxiety. He did this through numerous attacks on corruption in big business and contributed to the prosecution of individual trusts and monopolies, initiated lawsuits based on the Sherman Act of 1890. In the end, the companies got off with fines and revived under new names. There was a rapid modernization of the United States. At the beginning of the 20th century, the states were already adopting the features of corporate capitalism in its classic form.
President T. Roosevelt went down in US history as the most liberal. His policy could not eliminate either the abuses of the monopolies and the growth of their power and influence, or the labor movement. On the other hand, the country's external activity was marked by the beginning of a wide expansion into the world political arena.
The role of the state in the economy and social relations
EconomyThe United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries took on the features of classical corporate capitalism, in which giant trusts and monopolies launched their activities without any restrictions. They limited natural market competition and practically ruined small and medium businesses. Passed in 1890, the Sherman Act was billed as a "charter of industrial freedom," but had limited effect and was often misunderstood. Lawsuits equated unions with monopolies, and strikes by ordinary workers were regarded as "conspiracy to restrict free trade."
As a result, the social development of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century goes in the direction of deepening inequality (stratification) of society, the position of ordinary Americans becomes disastrous. There is growing discontent against corporate capital among farmers, workers, progressive intelligentsia. They condemn monopolies and see them as a threat to the welfare of the masses. All this contributes to the emergence of an antitrust movement, accompanied by an increase in the activity of trade unions and a constant struggle for the social protection of the population.
Demands for a "renewal" of social and economic policies are starting to sound not only on the streets, but also in parties (Democratic and Republican). Appeared as opposition, they gradually capture the minds of the ruling elite, which ultimately leads to changes in domestic politics.
Legislative acts
The economic development of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century required the adoption of certain decisions by the head of state. The basis of the so-called new nationalism was the demand of T. Roosevelt to expand the powers of the president, so that the government would take control over the activities of trusts in order to regulate them and suppress "dishonest play."
The implementation of this program in the United States at the beginning of the 20th century was supposed to be facilitated by the first law, passed in 1903 - "The Act for the Acceleration of Proceedings and the Resolution of Processes in Fairness". It established measures to speed up antitrust litigation, which was considered to be of "great public interest" and "priority over others."
The next was the law creating the US Department of Labor and Commerce, whose functions included, among other things, the collection of information about trusts and the examination of their "dishonest activities." T. Roosevelt extended his demands for "fair play" to the relations between entrepreneurs and ordinary workers, advocating a peaceful settlement of disputes arising between them, but demanding in parallel the restriction of the activity of US trade unions at the beginning of the 20th century.
You can often hear the opinion that by the twentieth century the American state came up with zero "baggage" of international relations. There is some truth in this, because until 1900 the United States was actively focused on itself. The country did not get involved in the complicated relations of the European powers, but actively carried out expansion in the Philippines, the Hawaiian Islands.
Relationships with native Indians
The history of relations between the indigenous inhabitants of the continent and"white" Americans is indicative of how the US coexisted with other nations. There was everything from the open use of force to the cunning argumentation that justified it. The fate of the indigenous peoples depended directly on white Americans. Suffice it to recall the fact that in 1830 all the eastern tribes were moved to the west bank of the Mississippi, but the Croy, Cheyenne, Arapah, Sioux, Blackfeet, and Kiowa Indians were already inhabiting the plains. The policy of the US government in the late 19th and early 20th centuries was aimed at concentrating the indigenous population in certain specially designated areas. It was replaced by the idea of "cultivating" the Indians, integrating them into American society. Literally in one century (1830-1930) they became the object of a government experiment. People were first deprived of their ancestral land, and then of their national identity.
US development in the early 20th century: Panama Canal
The beginning of the 20th century for the United States was marked by a revival of Washington's interest in the idea of an interoceanic canal. This was facilitated by the victory in the Spanish-American War and the subsequent establishment of control over the Caribbean Sea and the entire Pacific region adjacent to the Latin American coast. T. Roosevelt attached paramount importance to the idea of building a canal. Just a year before becoming president, he spoke openly that "in the struggle for supremacy at sea and commerce, the United States must strengthen its power beyond its borders and have its say in determining the fate of the oceans of the West and East."
Representatives of Panama (which did not yet officially exist inas an independent state) and the United States at the beginning of the 20th century, or rather, in November 1903, signed an agreement. According to its terms, America received indefinite lease of 6 miles of the Isthmus of Panama. Six months later, the Colombian Senate refused to ratify the treaty, citing the fact that the French had offered better terms. This aroused Roosevelt's indignation, and soon a movement for the independence of Panama began in the country, not without the support of the Americans. At the same time, a warship from the United States turned out to be very useful off the coast of the country - to monitor the ongoing events. Just a couple of hours after Panama's independence, America recognized the new government and received a long-awaited contract in return, this time an eternal lease. The official opening of the Panama Canal took place on June 12, 1920.
US economy at the beginning of the 20th century: W. Taft and W. Wilson
Republican William Taft held judicial and military posts for a long time and was a close friend of Roosevelt. The latter, in particular, supported him as a successor. Taft served as president from 1909 to 1913. His activities were characterized by a further strengthening of the role of the state in the economy.
Relations between the two presidents soured, and in 1912 they both made an attempt to stand as a candidate for future elections. The splitting of the Republican electorate into two camps led to the victory of Democrat Woodrow Wilson (pictured), which left a big imprint on the development of the United States in the early 20th century.
He was consideredAs a radical politician, he began his inaugural speech with the words "there have been changes in power." Wilson's "new democracy" program was based on three principles: freedom of the individual, freedom of competition, and individualism. He proclaimed himself an enemy of trusts and monopolies, but demanded not their elimination, but the transformation and removal of all restrictions on the development of business, mainly small and medium-sized ones, by curbing "unfair competition."
Legislative acts
In order to implement the program, the Tariff Law of 1913 was passed, on the basis of which they were completely revised. Tariffs have been lowered, income taxes have been raised, banks have been controlled and imports have been expanded.
The further political development of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century was marked by a number of new legislative acts. In the same year, 1913, the Federal Reserve System was created. Its purpose was to control the issuance of banknotes, banknotes of importance and to establish the percentage of bank loans. The organization included 12 national reserve banks from the respective regions of the country.
The sphere of social conflicts was not left without attention. Passed in 1914, the Clayton Act clarified the controversial language of the Sherman statute and also prohibited its application to labor unions.
The reforms of the progressive period were just timid steps towards the adaptation of the United States at the beginning of the 20th century to the new situation that arose in connection with the transformation of the country intonew powerful state of corporate capitalism. The trend intensified after America's entry into the First World War. In 1917, the Law on the Control of Production, Fuel and Raw Materials was passed. He expanded the rights of the president and allowed him to supply the fleet and the army with everything necessary, including with the aim of preventing speculation.
World War I: US position
Europe and the USA at the beginning of the 20th century, like the whole world, stood on the threshold of global cataclysms. Revolutions and wars, the collapse of empires, economic crises - all this could not but affect the internal situation in the country. European countries acquired huge armies, united in sometimes contradictory and illogical alliances in order to protect their borders. The result of the tense situation was the outbreak of the First World War.
Wilson at the very beginning of hostilities made a statement to the nation that America should "maintain the true spirit of neutrality" and be friendly to all participants in the war. He was well aware that ethnic conflicts could easily destroy the republic from within. Declared neutrality was meaningful and logical for a number of reasons. Europe and the United States at the beginning of the 20th century were not in alliances, and this allowed the country to stay away from military troubles. In addition, entry into the war could politically strengthen the Republican camp and give them an advantage in the next election. Well, it was quite difficult to explain to the people why the United States supports the Entente, in which the regime of Tsar Nicholas II participated.
US entry into the war
The theory of the position of neutrality was very convincing and reasonable, but in practice it turned out to be difficult to achieve. The shift came after the US recognized the naval blockade of Germany. Since 1915, the expansion of the army began, which did not exclude the participation of the United States in the war. This moment hastened the actions of Germany at sea and the death of American citizens on the sunken ships of England and France. After President Wilson's threats, there was a lull that lasted until January 1917. Then a full-scale war of German ships against everyone else began.
US history at the beginning of the 20th century could have taken a different path, but two more events happened that pushed the country to join the First World War. Firstly, a telegram fell into the hands of intelligence, where the Germans openly offered Mexico to take their side and attack America. That is, such a distant overseas war turned out to be very close, threatening the security of its citizens. Secondly, a revolution took place in Russia, and Nicholas II left the political arena, which allowed him to join the Entente with a relatively clear conscience. The position of the allies was not the best, they suffered huge losses at sea from German submarines. The entry of the United States into the war made it possible to turn the tide of events. Warships reduced the number of German submarines. In November 1918, the enemy coalition capitulated.
US Colonies
Active expansion of the country began at the end of the 19th century and covered the Caribbean basin of the Atlantic Ocean. Thus, the US colonies in the early 20centuries included the Guan Islands, Hawaiian. The latter, in particular, were annexed in 1898, and two years later received the status of a self-governing territory. Ultimately, Hawaii became the 50th US state.
In the same 1898, Cuba was captured, which officially passed to America after the signing of the Treaty of Paris with Spain. The island came under occupation, gaining formal independence in 1902
In addition, Puerto Rico (an island that voted in 2012 to join the states), the Philippines (gained independence in 1946), the Panama Canal Zone, the Corn and Virgin Islands can be safely attributed to the country's colonies.
This is just a brief digression into the history of the United States. The second half of the 20th century, the beginning of the 21st century, which followed, can be characterized in different ways. The world does not stand still, something is constantly happening in it. The Second World War left a deep mark on the history of the entire planet, the subsequent economic crises and the Cold War gave way to a thaw. A new threat has hung over the entire civilized world - terrorism, which has no territorial or national boundaries.
