Americas use/abuse of power...?

Question

i got an assignment the other day and the question was: 'You may choose any example of the use of American Power to intervene in the affairs of other countries between 1900 and 1990'. could you tell me a great example i could use? thanks!!

Answer 1

My example,
The entrance of the USA into the First World War.
The USA had really no reason to enter WW1 other than to become a recognized world power.

WW1 was a pure European Conflict, and really a conflict of Monarchy’s and Empires.

A Serbian backed Austrian Serb, assassinated the Archduke of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire. The Austrians decided to go to war against Serbia for there involvement in the assassination. The Serbs had an alliance with the Russian Tsar; the Russian Tsar had an alliance with France. The Austrians had an alliance with Germany & Italy.
Austria invades Serbia, Russia France declare war on Austria, Germany declares war on Russia and France, invades Belgium to get to France, Britain declares war on Germany to come to the aide of the Belgians, Italy switches side and joins the allies, Japan joins the allies, the Ottoman Empire joins the central powers "Germany, Austria" and the US starts selling war materials to all parties. The British fleet blockades Germany.
The Germans use U-boats to try and break the blockade and hamper the supply line to Britain.
It would be very easy for the US to stay out of the war. The context for entering the war was the attempt by Germany to get the Mexico to invade the USA, and the submarine warfare of the Germans.
Woodrow Wilson wanted America to be respected and America to have greater influence in world affairs. America was gain influence just by making and selling war supplies. The American industrial might was being recognized Wilson wanted American Democracy to also be recognized.
When the USA enters WW1 the Americans were viewed as the saviors of the western world, Woodrow Wilson idea of a league of nations and his 14 points plan were celebrated. Wilson had the popularity of a present day rock star in most of Europe. But at the end of the war Wilson gave way to the Europeans. And as the 1st World war was being put to rest the seeds of the Second World War were planted. Wilson’s; League of Nations failed as did the treaty of Versailles.

Answer 2

check chapter 21 in howard zinn's a peoples history of the united states

"Carter-Reagan-Bush: The Bipartisan Consensus", covers the Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, and George H. W. Bush administrations and their effects on both the American people and foreign countries. Zinn argues that the Democratic and Republican parties keep the government essentially the same (that is, they handled the government in a way that was favorable for corporations rather than for the people) and continued to have a militant foreign policy no matter which party was in power. Zinn uses similarities between the three administrations' methods as proof of this. Other topics covered include the Fairness Doctrine, the Indonesian invasion of East Timor, Noam Chomsky, global warming, Roy Benavidez, the Trident submarine, the Star Wars program, the Sandinista National Liberation Front, the Iran-Contra Affair, the War Powers Act, US invasion of Lebanon during the Lebanese Civil War, the Invasion of Grenada, Óscar Romero, the El Mozote massacre, the Bombing of Libya, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States invasion of Panama, and the Gulf War.

Answer 3

Vietnam might work for you.

~edit~
To the post below mine. Actions in Europe after WWII can be debated as to whether or not they were intervening since we were reviving countries to prevent a re-occurrence of violence (which was in our own interest). The situation in Vietnam originated between France and Vietnam and originally provided no reason for us to become involved. Thus it tends to be a prime example of actual intervention in the affairs of other countries.

Answer 4

How about the United States (as well as other Western States) to intervene in third world countries with medicines to improve the lives and lower the death rates of the people. How about the peace core sending thousands of volunteers into countries and showing people how to improve their lives through correct improvement of the land for farming. The use of natural growing crops to improve diets. How to build houses (economically out of local products) that don’t fall down in an earthquake. How about improving a healthy water supply. How about local economic growth with locally owned banks controlled by the local people.

How about the millions and millions of tons of Western grown food for people who live on low calorie diets. How about the transfering of jobs to third world counties so that they don't have to use their own children as slave labor.

I suspect that none of these are what your teach wants to hear about.

Answer 5

How about the Marshal Plan to rebuild Europe after WWII or is this just an assignment meant to rip the US?

Answer 6

Or Cuba or Mexico