What effect did this writer probably believe that foreign influence had within China? The writer believed that aggressive foreign influence would be received negatively, and could lead to conflict.

What does this writer identify as a potential problem with relations with China? Over-aggressive behavior and influence

Do you think that U.S. influence around the world was likely to be well received? Why or why not? Citizens of foreign countries may have seen foreign influence as interference in their way of life.

The Open Door Policy Japan Defeats China Before Roosevelt took office, the focus of U.S. foreign policy had been on China. In 1894 Japan went to war with China over control of Korea. Japan’s easy victory signaled that it had grown to become an industrial and military power and that China was weak. Russia Takes Leasehold in China Manchuria bordered Russia, and a Japanese takeover concerned the Russians. With the support of France and Germany, Russia forced Japan to return Manchuria to China. Then, in 1898, Russia demanded of China that it be allowed to lease, and thus control, Manchuria. Spheres of Influence Germany, France, and Britain also insisted that China grant them “leaseholds” in various areas of China. From its leasehold, each country established an economic sphere of influence, or control. Powers Agree to Open Markets The United States sought commerce, not conquest or control. President McKinley supported an Open Door policy, keeping China’s markets open to all countries. Each of the other powers in China agreed to go along with this policy as long as the others followed suit.

What were some events leading up the Open Door policy? The Japanese defeat of China, Russia’s intervention, the creation of European spheres of influence

How did the Open Door policy differ from spheres of influence? The United States had economic rather than colonial goals, so it encouraged the adoption of an Open Door policy that called for free trade.

Roosevelt’s Diplomacy Maintaining Peace in Asia In Asia, President Theodore Roosevelt supported the Open Door policy. His successful efforts to end the war between Japan and Russia (1904–1905) brought him the Nobel Peace Prize in Roosevelt’s “Big Stick” Roosevelt purposefully displayed U.S. power to the world, in part to keep other nations from fighting. He described this policy using a West African saying, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” The Panama Canal Roosevelt’s “big stick” policy was perhaps most evident in the Caribbean. There Roosevelt made a bold—some said unjustifiably aggressive—move, encouraging and militarily supporting Panama’s declaration of independence from Colombia so the United States could dig a canal across the Isthmus of Panama. Roosevelt Corollary In the early 1900s, Latin American nations owed huge debts to European banks. In 1902 Venezuela defaulted on its debts. In response, Great Britain, Germany, and Italy blockaded Venezuelan ports. Roosevelt declared that the United States would intervene in Latin America when necessary to keep the region stable. His declaration became known as the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine.

How did Roosevelt’s foreign policy expand U.S. influence to other countries? Roosevelt supported the expansion of U.S. economic and military influence in China and Latin America by encouraging the Open Door policy, intervening in regional Asian conflicts, supporting Panamanian independence and the construction of the Panama Canal, and declaring the nation’s right to intervene in other Latin American issues.

Background At 42, Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest U.S. president ever. Republican leaders had put him on the ticket with McKinley because he was a war hero. Now they cringed at the thought of him in the White House. Ohio senator Mark Hanna exclaimed, “Now look, that... cowboy is president of the United States!” As president, Roosevelt aimed to expand the role of the United States on the world stage. He warned Americans not to become “an assemblage of well-to-do hucksters who care nothing for what happens beyond.”

How do “Big Stick” and “Dollar Diplomacy” influence the world today? American influence remains strong around the world, in part because of the nation’s military and economic power.