America the Western Hegemon

Abstract

Abstract In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States vied for regional power within its neighborhood, now extending to Latin America and the Caribbean, and several islands in the South Pacific. This chapter traces how the once imperialized United States became the imperialist. Relying on historical narratives and data patterns from the Military Intervention Project (MIP), this chapter highlights key events in US foreign policy from 1865 to 1917, the pre–World War I era—including the Spanish-American War, Mexican Revolution, Banana Wars, and the Philippine-American War. As the United States progressed through the late 1800s and into the 1900s, it expanded its sphere of influence beyond its neighborhood and reached the heights of regional hegemony. Thus, the pre–World War I era from 1865 to 1917 characterized the United States as a growing imperialist power across Latin America and the Pacific, all while restraining European powers from economic and political gains in the continent.