America And World Leadership 1900 1921

In this updated edition of Crucible of Power, Howard Jones draws on his remarkable breadth as a historian of U.S. foreign relations to produce a distinguished survey of America's growth from an emerging power in the 1890s to its present day position of global preeminence. Comprehensive, tempered, and highly accessible, Jones demonstrates the complexities facing U.S. policy makers and the limitations on their actions.

"Through its military policy and foreign policy, America attained superpower status in a remarkably short period of time. Nations survive based on their ability to provide internal order and external defense. Unfortunately, foreign policy goals are not always attained, and sometimes those goals are based on questionable concepts. Power and Policy examines the relationship of the US military and naval power with its foreign policy objectives, exploring the policies and the use of force that propelled the United States into the first ranks of world power. The book asks when military action is needed and how such action can change the very context within which foreign policy unfolds. The study focuses on twelve major decisive events in history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including: a hurricane in Samoa and its effect on the German and US navies, the outcomes that followed the Spanish-American War, the role of Panama in the development of a trans-continental powerhouse, the US approach to southern neighbors including Nicaragua and Mexico, maneuvering for a stronger global position at the conclusion of World War I, and the establishment of naval parity with Great Britain. The facts, background and analysis enable readers to understand interventions that defined and then re-defined United States foreign policy for the rest of the 20th century."--Publisher's description.

"Howard Jablon delves into the life of this Marine hero whose career intersected with critical junctures in U.S. foreign relations over five decades. As Jablon contrasts Shoup's service career and bravery in battle with his vehement anti-Vietnam protests, Jablon illuminates the paradoxes that make David M. Shoup such an intriguing figure."--BOOK JACKET.

In The Life and Times of Charles R. Crane, Norman E. Saul analyzes the contributions of Charles R. Crane, world traveler, businessman, diplomat, and philanthropist in the setting of his times. Crane acquired his appreciation for Russian culture and life through travel in the country, making a total of twenty-four trips to Russia. He developed friendships and professional relationships with many prominent Russians in political, cultural, and artistic spheres in addition to his connections to important figures in American history such as Woodrow Wilson. As the son of a Chicago industrialist with little formal education, Charles R. Crane enjoyed remarkable success serving as a financial backer and advisor to the Woodrow Wilson administration, founding member of the 1917 Root Commission to Russia, minister to China, and establishing a factory in Russia to manufacture air brakes for the Russian railroad. He devoted a considerable amount of his own time and resources to educating Americans about the Russian people. He sponsored visiting lecturers, subsidized publications, and commissioned works by Russian artists. Charles Crane was arguably the first true American globalist. His activities involved Russia, China, and the Middle East, but Saul emphasizes his travels in Russia and his role in the development and promotion of Russian studies in America. Crane represented the United States becoming a world power in business and diplomacy, and fostered an American appreciation and knowledge of Russian, Asian, and Middle Eastern societies. By studying this unusual man, Saul explores the world in which he lived and traveled. The relationship between America and Russia has always been a complex and fascinating one, and Saul shines light on a pivotal period in that relationship.

A comprehensive, sweeping history of America’s rise to global superpower—from the Spanish-American War to World War II—by the acclaimed author of Dangerous Nation “With extraordinary range and research, Robert Kagan has illuminated America’s quest to reconcile its new power with its historical purpose in world order in the early twentieth century.” —Dr. Henry Kissinger At the dawn of the twentieth century, the United States was one of the world’s richest, most populous, most technologically advanced nations. It was also a nation divided along numerous fault lines, with conflicting aspirations and concerns pulling it in different directions. And it was a nation unsure about the role it wanted to play in the world, if any. Americans were the beneficiaries of a global order they had no responsibility for maintaining. Many preferred to avoid being drawn into what seemed an ever more competitive, conflictual, and militarized international environment. However, many also were eager to see the United States taking a share of international responsibility, working with others to preserve peace and advance civilization. The story of American foreign policy in the first four decades of the twentieth century is about the effort to do both—“to adjust the nation to its new position without sacrificing the principles developed in the past,” as one contemporary put it. This would prove a difficult task. The collapse of British naval power, combined with the rise of Germany and Japan, suddenly placed the United States in a pivotal position. American military power helped defeat Germany in the First World War, and the peace that followed was significantly shaped by a U.S. president. But Americans recoiled from their deep involvement in world affairs, and for the next two decades, they sat by as fascism and tyranny spread unchecked, ultimately causing the liberal world order to fall apart. America’s resulting intervention in the Second World War marked the beginning of a new era, for the United States and for the world. Brilliant and insightful, The Ghost at the Feast shows both the perils of American withdrawal from the world and the price of international responsibility.

This landmark book, the concluding volume in a magisterial series, presents the story of America's interwoven history and geography from 1915 to 2000. Discussing such developments as the automotive, neotechnic, and communications revolutions, the world wars, urban migration, and regionalism, D.W. Meinig offers unprecedented insights into the reshaping of the United States. "Meinig at his best: he presents a masterly synthesis of the cultural complexity of America, a compelling account of the dramatic but immensely complicated restructuring of its human geography during the twentieth century."--Graeme Wynn, Journal of Historical Geography "This work will shape the way many people view the United States for a long time to come. Essential."--Choice "This splendid work concludes the most ambitious writing project of any American geographer, ever. Global America meets and even exceeds the high standards set by the previous three volumes."--John C. Hudson, Northwestern University

Examines the backdrop of rivalry among world powers, the events that immediately preceded the first World War, the effects of the war itself, and its long term consequences. Suggested level: secondary.