Essay on Isolationism as the Cornerstone of the US Foreign Policy Between 1920-1930

Isolationism gets construed as a policy that revolves around groups, parties or even nations remaining apart from the affairs and the interests which belong to other groups. It mainly gets noted in political related issues. It can also get noted as the doctrine that isolates an individual's nation from the affairs of another country through turning down matters of alliances, agreements that gets noted as international and finally issues of financial commitments (Arbatov and Vladimir, 2). Therefore, the paper gets founded on a historical investigation which investigates the main reasons why the subject (isolationism) became the greatest cornerstone of the foreign policy of the United States of America between 1920 and 1930. The achievement of the mentioned investigation gets based on the responses getting divided into three categories. The first class gets based on the identification and evaluation of sources. The second section deals with a detailed coverage of the major reasons that led to the policy becoming the U.S. cornerstone. Finally, the last section gets based on the reflection noted while making an elaborate discussion in the reflection section. The prompts validate the research in context as an IB historical investigation.

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As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, the first part of the paper looks into details matters of identification of the sources. The sources selected get based on the topic of discussion. Some of these sources include; "The History of The American Idea" (Young and Ralph, 12) which gets construed to get its genesis of development from the policy which mainly aimed at the advancement of the United States of America. The other source gets based on the uncertainty of the superpower which aims at looking to details the internal boundaries of the foreign policy in the discussion (May, Bernhard, and Michaela, 15). Therefore, the section in discussion mainly ensures that every detail gets covered through the use of credible sources. Their credulity gets based on the various pages highlighted and their original contents in general. The mentioned forms part of the primary sources that get referred to in the referencing page.

On the second section, it gets noted that isolationism mainly came into existence following the repudiations of the Senate on the Treaty of Versailles. The treaty entered into life as a result of the World War 1 that brought the need for the U.S. distant organs to develop a foreign policy of isolationism as a key pillar or rather a cornerstone. The plan got adopted under the leadership of President Harding (1921-1923) and President Calvin Coolidge (1923- 1929). The policy got viewed as a strategic and economic doctrine which aimed at making the United States of America great. Its primary objective got based on making the nation develop self- advancement through self- economic reliance and retaining peace with other countries (Ehteshami, Anoushiravan, and Steven, 4). As mentioned in the introductory paragraph, the policy made significant attempts in ensuring that the U.S. avoided foreign engagements, alliances and also limited other external competitions through the imposition of high import tariffs.

One of the reasons why the policy got construed as the cornerstone of the U.S. foreign policy got based on the President Wilson's 14 points speech. The speech got noted as one of the facts which the system bore. The president got regarded as getting instrumental in drafting the post-World War 1 settlement plan which made the U.S. getting considered greater to other nations. It also gets noted that the policy also allowed the U.S. not to join the war at first and joined the allies group at a later stage thereby bringing victory to them (Ehteshami, Anoushiravan, and Steven, 6). It gets noted that the foreign policy to some extent got considered as a calculative move by the U.S. in enabling them to generate adequate advancement that may not allow comparisons with other nation, including the other allies.

Another reason why the policy got considered as a cornerstone got based on its ability to allow strong opposition in the Senate against the will of President Wilson Harding of the United States joining the League of Nation. The senators saw it wise to exclude their nation considering the challenges they encountered in World War 1. The Americans viewed Europe as a notorious conflict zone that would call for the assistance and finally wastage of their military resources (Friedman and George, 5). The policy, therefore, allowed them to prefer self- development and armament to joining the League of Nation. Currently, The U.S. gets considered as a nation with the best military and economic prowess among other considerations that makes it the World Super Power.

The third reason why isolationism got considered as the cornerstone of the U.S. foreign policy got based on the various developments and establishment that got realized at around 1920 to 1930 when the policy got put into consideration. It gets noted that various developments got realized in the railway and basic industrial sectors. The events made the industries to eradicate the need for masses of workers who got little skills. The mentioned developments got achieved through reducing the number of immigrants who got to offer low-quality services within the railway and industrial sectors (Karsten and Peter, 8). Even though the policy got its share of threats especially on the introduction of certain radical movements and ideologies, it profited the American nation at a greater extent.

The policy also allowed the American government to raise its tariffs on imports to allow production and consumption of their locally made products. At this level, the main aim of the policy got realized to enable local producers to increase their standard of production as well as profits (Kosebalaban and Hasan, 11). An example of the local producers gets based on the farmers who at the onset of the high tariffs began to accumulate vast surpluses. The raising of the taxes also saw cheaper foreign products getting blocked out of the U.S. market. It got noted that the goods got low quality and the U.S. government got worried about the quality of the products consumed by the citizens. When other nations realized how the policy got affecting them, they also decided to raise their tariffs as well to exclude the manufactured and farm products of the Americans.

The policy of isolationism also brought to light the realization of the significance in the engagements of the U.S. and the Latin America. The policy made the Latin Americans to realize that without the United States of America, they got to experience some challenges. Therefore, at the onset of early 1930's, Latin America developed ways of improving how they related with The U.S. Their state department also made a declaration that they would no longer put to use the Monroe doctrine in justifying their domestic affairs (Mahan and Alfred, 14). They encouraged the coming of their investors and even promised to offer the investors the necessary protection while undertaking their investments. Many nations also seemed to get to suffer the moment The United States of America developed the policy. The assertion behind the ordeal these countries went through got based on the significance that got accrued before the adoption of the policy.

Some facts also depict isolationism as a major cornerstone relates it to the U.S. economic boom. It gets noted that the policy led to the U.S. getting noted to poses stronger economic power compared to other nations. At the on- set of World War 1, the U.S. gets discussed to owe Europe some money. Immediately after the war and the adoption of the policy, it gets discussed that it got owed more than $10 billion by the allies (May, Bernhard, and Michaela, 10). The money got borrowed from the U.S. government mainly to assist in facilitating the purchase of food supplies and other war armaments. The situation made the U.S. to get considered as the high economic block, stronger than even Europe and every nation that opt for financial assistance looked at them for help. It, therefore, initiated plans that would allow the debt relocations which got later faced with some challenges due to financial difficulties that got confronted with by other allied groups.

The next fact that made the policy get the considered as a cornerstone got based on the enhancement that the policy brought on the U.S. Domestic Policy on Immigration. The policy enabled the United States of America to get proper control of its domestic policy. This got based on the policy discouraging the issue of immigration which reduced to a greater extent within the period in discussion. The policy also got discussed to get evident in the measures that got taken by the Federal government to limit and control issues that got related to cases of immigration (Osman, Nazariah, and Debendra, 15). Some of the measures that depicted the policy in discussion got based on the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 which got passed using the quota system to generate limits that restricted the number of immigrants entering the U.S. soil.

The policy also allowed the United States of America to succeed in achieving the self- advancement. The advancement got noted as part of the major aim that the tariff aimed at. Most of the nations depended on The U.S. for support at the time due to the difficulties they got to encounter. Some of the countries included Germany and the Weimar Republic which got at the brink of economic collapse (Scholtz and Leopold, 18). The two nation also got worried about their ability to pay the war reparations. They got concerned about their situation and acknowledged that if they fail to get assistance, it will get impossible for them to offset the repayments. The case led to the introduction of the Dawes Plan. The plan got introduced by the American diplomat and Charles G. Dawes who got noted as a banker. The project aimed at increasing the time frame given to Germany to pay its war reparations and also adding them an addition loan of 800 million gold. The favor got viewed to assist them to solicit enough funds that would enable them to pay their war reparations and finally pay back the debt offered to them by the United States of America.

Even though the policy got marked with numerous credits to the United States of America, it also got noted that it brought some challenges to the nation and other countries. As the policy got busy encouraging self- advancement through military armament and attaining financial powers among others, other countries got their share of challenges (Skaine and Rosemarie, 20). The policy made the United States of America not to share ties also encouraged into work within its domestic environment, a move that culminated several challenges as mentioned. One of the unique features that got noted in the policy got based on its ability enable the operation of the government of the United States of America. Nearly every organ of The U.S. government got dependent on it. The Senate used it for purposes of reference to block President Wilson from making the country to get part of the League of Nation.

The third part of the paper as stated in the introductory paragraph get based on various reflections. The primary method used to achieve the investigation above got based qualitative techniques that looked at how the policy of isolationism got regarded as a cornerstone (Wight, Martin, and Hedley, 23). The method enabled much information to get accumulated in the conducting of the research. The investigation also made me realize certain limitations of the methods used. The method only got based on boundaries of theoretical aspect and no quantitate issue got measured. The research also got limited to the historical context of the issue. On the ref...