The United States And Foreign Policies

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Durning 1913 and 1916 Woodrow Wilsons domestic and foreign policies weren 't both equally successful but both were successful. AlthoughWilson had primarily been elected to reform national politics and initiate new progressive policies in Washington, he spent the majority of his time as President dealing with foreign policy rather than domestic. Wilson 's predecessors, including McKinley, Theodore Roosevelt, and Taft, had viewed the United States as an emerging power that needed to extend its influence throughout the world in order to serve national interests. This imperialist policy was justified by the commonly held belief that it was America 's duty as a Christian republic to spread democracy throughout the world. These three Presidents significantly expanded America 's influence abroad with the annexation of colonies throughout the world, such as the Philippines and Cuba. First, Wilson however, abandoned this imperialist policy and brought to the White House a new way of looking at America 's relations with the outside world. Even though he too believed that the United States was the most politically enlightened nation under God, he felt that all peoples throughout the world had the right to self-determination–that the people in every country should have the right to choose their own governments. Wilson, along with his Secretary of State Bryan, felt that it was America 's duty to protect democracy and free peoples in other countries rather than to spread it
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