The Monroe Doctrine and American Presence in Latin America 4219-SF011
One of the most interesting, and still disputed, issues of history of American diplomacy and foreign policy is the one of U.S. presence in Latin America. Events of the 20th Century created a popular myth of United States' policy toward Latin American nations being always an imperialistic, if not colonial one. The Monroe Doctrine became a symbol of Yankee "lust" for domination in the Western Hemisphere, especially south of Rio Grande River. The course will focus on the historical roots of contemporary attitude of Washington toward that region, starting even earlier than proclamation of Monroe Doctrine in 1823. It will follow various aspects of the history of complicated relations between the "sister republics" of North and South America
since the early 19th Century up to the end of the next one. Diplomatic documents and state papers, press articles, political literature, memoirs and speeches, mostly American, will be used as primary sources.
Subjects discussed:
- The Monroe Doctrine, 1823: its background ans circumstances of formulation
- USA and the Caribbean, 1823-1848
- The Mexican War of 1846-1848: a fratricidal conflict?
- American Filibusters of the 1850's: pirates or liberators of Latin America?
- Facing the European intervention: the USA and French presence in Mexico, 1861-1867
- American annexationism in theory and practice: the would-be Dominicana Purchase, 1870
- Panamericanism - the beginnings: the Washington Conference of 1889
-" The Splendid Little War" with Spain, 1898: for Cuban freedom or just for Cuba?
- "The Big Stick": Imperialistic re-interpretation of the Monroe Doctrine op[ens the 20th century
-"Good Neighborhood": the 1930's and 1940's in US-Latin American relations
- The Cold War seen from far away: Latin America as" the rear area" of the USA in the middle of 20th century
- Cuba since 1959: enemy's beach-head
- Panama: the case of many forms of dependence
in the middle of 20th century
Type of course
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course student:
1. KNOWLEDGE
a/ Has a knowledge of the role and place of Latin America in the foreign policy of the USA
b/ Recognizes the complex relations between United States and Latin American countries
c/ Analyzes the various meanings and interptretations of the Monroe Doctrine as well as their results since 1823 up to our time
2. SKILLS
a/ Identifies and recognizes tghe connections between local and global position and policies of Great Powers and their weaker neighbors
b/ Is able to explain the reasons of formulation of given doctrines of foreign policy basing on the knowledge of primary sources, got while attending the course
c/ Formulates his/her own judgements concerning the understanding of Latin American problems in the United States
3. Social Competences
a/ Understands and appreciates the role of Latin America for the debates on foreign policy in the United States, both historical and contemporary ones
b/ Is able to formulate his/her own opinions on the controversial issues in the political history of the USA
C/ Completes and improves his/her knowledge of the history of US policy versus Latin America
Assessment criteria
Active participation in the classes, and presence at most of them (60%); presentation or paper on one of the subjects discussed, chosen by student and approved by teacher (20%); a 5-page end of semester essay on a subject accepted by teacher (20 %) and a short interview with teacher before the deadline for graduation.
Bibliography
Primary sources:
Annals of America, Chicago 1976
Michael E. Gambone (ed.) – Documents of American Diplomacy. From American Revolution to the Prezent, Westport, Conn. 2002
Henry S. Commager (ed.) – Documents of American History (vol.1,2), 9th edition, Englewood Cliffs, N.Jersey 1973
Robert L. Holden, Eric Zolov (ed.) – Latin America and the United States: a documentary History, N.York 2000
Secondary sources:
Richard H. Collin – Theodore Roosevelt’s Caribbean: the Panama Canal, the Monroe Doctrine, and the Latin American context, Baton Rouge 1990
Russel Crandall – The United States and Latin America After the Cold War, N.York 2000
Dana Gardner – The United States and the Caribbean Republics 1921-1933, Princeton, N.J. 1974
Guy Poitras – The Ordeal of Hegemony: the United States and Latin America, Boulder, Colo. 1990
Stephen G. Rabe – Eisenhower and Latin America: the foreign policy of anticommunism, Chapel Hill 1988
Basil Rauch – American Interest in Cuba: 1848-1855, N.York 1974
Carla Anne Robbins – The Cuban Threat, N. York 1983
Peter H. Smith – Talons of the Eagle: dynamics of U.S. – Latin American Relations, N.York 2000
Steven Schwartzberg – Democracy and the U.S. Policy in Latin America During the Truman Years, Gainsville 2003
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: