The Monroe Doctrine: Empire and Nation in Nineteenth-Century America - Couverture rigide

Sexton, Jay

Couverture rigide

ISBN 10 : 0809071916 ISBN 13 : 9780809071913

Editeur : Hill & Wang Inc.,U.S., 2011

Synopsis

A succinct, analytical history of the Monroe Doctrine from its inception in 1823 to its broad extension in the early twentieth century, this book explains in vivid detail this cornerstone of American foreign policy. Covering more than a century of history, Jay Sexton, who teaches American history at the University of Oxford, explores the varying conceptions of the doctrine as its meaning was distorted over the course of decades to further an ever-expanding American empire. When in 1823 President Monroe issued his vaguely worded declaration that the United States would not allow European states to further colonize the western hemisphere, America had little means of enforcing it. The doctrine proclaimed anti-colonial principles, yet it rapidly became the myth and means for subsequent generations of politicians to pursue expansionist foreign policy agendas. Time and again, debates on the key issues of nineteenth- and early twentieth- century foreign relations - expansion in the 1840s, the imperialism of 1898, entrance into World War I and the League of Nations - were framed in relation to the Monroe Doctrine. In Sexton's adroit hands, the doctrine provides a new lens from which to view the still-unresolved question at the centre of American diplomatic history: the nation's contradictory traditions of anti-colonialism and imperialism.

A propos du livre

Revue de presse

A first-rate, comparatively brief, and comprehensive introduction to a subject that is, at once, pertinent and fascinating. The Monroe Doctrine, and its application over time, teaches us a lot about the growth of the American republic. It also tells us something about American and European statecraft, the art of diplomacy, the extent to which mythology informs realpolitik, and right or wrong, the enduring value of our nation's founding principles. --Philip Terzian, The Weekly Standard Sexton supplies valuable context to . . . America's competing impulses of professed anti-colonialism and robust imperialism. Today, especially, the Monroe Doctrine--that sometimes illusory, always fascinating engine of diplomacy--should merit our attention. --Jonathan E. Lazarus, The Star-Ledger (NJ) Lucidly written, shrewd in its insights, compelling in its interpretations, Jay Sexton's book shows the Monroe Doctrine being reinterpreted and variously applied by American statesmen across the decades from its inception to the time of Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. --Daniel Walker Howe, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 In this sparkling gem of a book, Jay Sexton reveals the sheer versatility of the Monroe Doctrine, its principles, and its application during the United States's nineteenth-century journey toward national consolidation and empire. His global perspective on national history delivers a subtle and powerful analysis of the interaction of American domestic politics and foreign policy within the shaping framework of British power. This is the Monroe Doctrine interpreted with unequalled complexity, originality, and clarity. Richard Cawardine, president, Corpus Christi College, Oxford, and author of Lincoln: A Life of Purpose and Power Splendid! In what is destined to become the standard account of the Monroe Doctrine, Jay Sexton does a marvelous job of bringing that much-misunderstood body o --Various

Présentation de l'éditeur

President James Monroe's 1823 message to Congress declaring opposition to European colonization in the Western Hemisphere became the cornerstone of nineteenth-century American statecraft. Monroe's message proclaimed anticolonial principles, yet it rapidly became the myth and means for subsequent generations of politicians to pursue expansionist foreign policies. Time and again, debates on the key issues of nineteenth-and early-twentieth-century foreign relations - expansion in the 1840s, Civil War diplomacy, the imperialism of 1898, entrance into World War I, and the establishment of the League of Nations - were framed in relation to the Monroe Doctrine. In Jay Sexton's adroit hands, the Monroe Doctrine provides a new lens through which to view the paradox at the centre of American diplomatic history: the nation's interdependent traditions of anticolonialism and imperialism.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Hill & Wang Inc.,U.S.
• Date d'édition: 2011
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0809071916
• ISBN 13: 9780809071913
• Reliure: Relié
• Nombre de pages: 272
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible