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From the end of the Spanish-American War in 1898 through to the times of World War I, American society went from being largely pro-expansionist to instead advocating for an increasingly isolationist attitude. Although politicians certainly tried to implement the prevalent stance at the time as a guide for their decisions, American society was never completely decided for either a pro-expansionist or pro-isolationist philosophy, thereby making political decisions which could suit all needs difficult. Although society had held a generally pro-expansionist view shortly before the WWI due to the proliferation of ideas of an American empire, the reality of a world war quickly discouraged people from a philosophy of expansionism and pushed them back towards isolationism. Although the government was first in agreement regarding a neutral approach to the war, it was eventually time for the USA to pick sides in the ongoing battle, and this expansionist move on part of the American government required extensive advertising as a way of convincing the American population to support the war effort.
Although American society had long been divided on the nation’s correct stance regarding world affairs, and the presence of both pro-isolationist and pro-expansionist followers represented continuity throughout US history, people who had a pro-expansionist stance became a vast majority around the time of the flourishing of the US colonial movement at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, a clear change from the nation’s previous isolationist follower majority. Both at the time of the Spanish-American War and before WWI, pro-isolationists and pro-expansionists existed both in the political sphere and society. Each of these groups had a diverse following – isolationists, for example, included rich business leaders who believed that imperialism would harm their business interests, but the group also included laborers who feared that expansionism could cause competition for jobs. At the time of the Spanish-American War and the war which would soon after be fought against the Philippines, American opinion was mainly turned towards an expansionist perspective. Although certain people did try to resist the imperialist plans of the nation, the opinion of American society in general and the political realm was greatly shifted to the side of a pro-expansionist agenda. A key reason for these positive attitudes towards US imperialism at the time was the very direct gains which conquest of territories brought to the United States. Taking control over regions such as the Philippines and Hawaii gave the USA a new trading base, allowed for a new “dock” for US armies and expanded worldwide power for the nation. The vast benefits which imperialism and the conquest of new US territories gave to the nation allowed for the high popularity of expansionist ideology during the late 19th and early 20th century. However, the large number of people who were pro-expansionist during the times of American conquest in the Pacific and Central America represents change regarding earlier beliefs. Before this momentous period in US history in which the US decided to try and become an empire, “the United States sought a policy of isolationism and neutrality with regards to the internal affairs of other nations” (Norwich University Online). From centuries of essentially trying to remain isolated from the rest of the world and its conflicts, the sudden entry of the United States into the global sphere as an empire-builder represented a clear departure from a guiding isolationist policy. The fact that an expansionist philosophy was guiding both a large number of people in politics and society in their decision-making processes demonstrates change in the very guiding ideology of the nation and change in terms of the role which the nation now played in the globe. The sudden departure from a highly isolationist nation to one which seemed to have aspirations of empire in the late 19th century in the wake of territorial wars such as the Spanish-American War represented change in the roles which the United States now played, as well as change in the overall opinions and beliefs of the people at the time.
Although it is likely that most people predicted that the wave of expansionism would remain the guiding principle in US foreign policy for a while after its widespread majority, American societal thought rapidly sprung back to its original isolationist ideas as a response to WWI. In earlier colonial explorations and conquests, the US had always benefitted quite largely with minimal risks: the regions they tried to conquer all provided the US with economic, military and political benefits, whilst losing a conquest did not pose a significant threat to the United States itself. In addition, to most people in society, these colonial wars seemed extremely distant and most often included professional US soldiers or volunteers. WWI, however, had much greater risks and potential losses with many less direct benefits. For one part, WWI was not being fought against a small nation or region with an underdeveloped military, but instead involved one of the most powerful armies in the world at the time – the German army. In addition, the benefits reaped from helping the British and French in their struggle against Germany’s army seemed quite distant to most Americans: the purpose of US intervention was to help France and Britain in hopes of preventing Germany from conquering Britain and France, after which the Germans could have progressed onto fighting America. Although US intervention in WWI was consistently portrayed as fighting for the future of democracy, the distant nature of Germany and the general centre of the warfare in Europe from America made the threat of German invasion less credible and seemingly less imminent to most members of US society. In addition to what seemed to most people as few benefits of US intervention in WWI, the human costs also seemed to be higher. In order to fight the German superpower, the US would need to go beyond professional soldiers in order to fight. Instead, it would need to gain many civilians to join the war as soldiers. As possible measures such as these were announced, many US citizens turned towards an isolationist and anti-war stance, in which they condemned war in favour instead if more diplomatic methods of solving conflict situations and tried to reduce US involvement in foreign countries. This viewpoint is well reflected in I Didn’t Raise My Boy to be a Soldier, a song written in 1915 which states “It’s time to lay the sword and gun away… I didn’t raise my boy to be a soldier” (Bryan 25). The lines of this song which became very popular in 1915 in the United States reflect what many American citizens felt at the time of the war – they wanted a more peaceful solution to conflict other than war, especially because of the damaging human costs of warfare. Between the Spanish-American War and other colony-building activities and the onset WWI, much change had occurred in the minds of the American people, who now saw the devastating consequences of an expansionist perspective as the majority view shifted towards a stance of US isolationism.
Initially, in response to the highly isolationist view of society at the beginning of WWI, leaders such as Woodrow Wilson attempted to avoid involvement in the war at all costs, but eventually politicians were forced to choose sides on the battlefield, soon resulting in a frenzied effort from the government to convince the US people to join the war. Although “for three years, the United States walked the tightrope of neutrality as President Woodrow Wilson opted to keep the country out of the bloodbath consuming Europe,” Wilson eventually was forced to join the allied forces due to fears of the attack from Germany spreading to influence America as well as various atrocities committed by the Germans against Americans at the time, such as the sinking of various ships (Hindley). Although Wilson (in line with the general societal view at the time) had been a strong advocate for American isolationism, he eventually felt that he had to pick a side to support in the Great War in order to preserve the liberties of the American people. Although Wilson switched his own views regarding the role the US should play in the Great War relatively quickly, the US government was now tasked with expanding their army. Due to the small number of professional soldiers, the government at first simply opened for volunteers for the army, but with very little success. At the time, the people of the United States simply seemed disenchanted by the expansionist ideology which Wilson and the government seemed to be following. In order to grow their army, the US government first put in place a draft, in which eligible men were randomly drafted to serve in the US army for WWI. However, the government needed to still build morale and determination for the American cause in soldiers who would travel to Europe and as a way of convincing potential volunteers. In order to both gain new soldiers and help keep soldiers helping out in the war effort motivated, the US government embarked on a major advertising campaign. Throughout the nation, posters were put up, speeches were given and films were shown to convince the American people of the importance of following a pro-expansionist ideology. The key aim of this variety of advertisement methods was simple: to convince people to support the American effort in WWI. One of these propaganda materials was the poster Don’t Wait for the Draft-Volunteer, which aimed to convince soldiers to voluntarily join the war effort in Europe in order to increase the numbers of troops in the American armies. In this poster, the use of the classic symbol of Uncle Sam as well as the large flag of the United States in the background both evoke a sense of dedication to one’s country and patriotism in the people viewing the poster. The hope of propaganda like this power was to form an association and a causal relationship. Essentially, the poster tries to get viewers to form an association between fighting in the war and being patriotic and loving of one’s country –fighting in the war (according to the poster) shows a person’s devotion and love for their country (in this case, the United States). Although the isolationist or expansionist stance held by the people had long been matched with a similar stance held by the US government, the WWI showed a fundamental pattern of change in this relationship as the expansionist views of the government harshly conflicted with the isolationist stance of most of the American people.
In conclusion, attitudes towards expansionism and isolationism experienced both change and continuity between the days of American imperialism starting at the Spanish-American War and up to the days of WWI. Initially, US history had been marked by a desire for the nation to remain neutral and isolated from foreign affairs, but the great riches and exploits which seemed to be open in the late 19th and early 20th centuries allowed for change as much of US society embraced a stance of expansionism and imperialism. However, the rise of WWI quickly caused a reversal in these attitudes as people returned to an isolationist stance (representing continuity from the times before the Spanish-American War). Although there was at first agreement between society and politicians regarding the fact that the US should not be involved in the Great War, the government eventually shifted its opinion away from that held by the general public, thereby requiring an extensive amount of mass marketing in order to encourage support for more expansionist and involved plan for the United States.
Works Cited
Bryan, Alfred. "I Didn't Raise My Boy to Be a Soldier." Slotkin, Richard. Lost Battalion: The Great War and the Crisis of American Nationality. New York: Henry Hold and Company LLC, 2005. 25.
Hindley, Meredith. World War I Changed America and Transformed Its Role in International Relations. 2017. 12 March 2022.
Inc., Associated Motion Picture Advertisers. "Don't Wait for the Draft-Volunteer". Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Poster No. 3. 1917.
Norwich University Online. Isolationism and U.S. Foreign Policy After World War I. 6 November 2016. 12 March 2022.