Imperialism In Latin America Before World War I

Before World War I began, imperialism was a growing idea in Europe. Imperialism is defined as when a dominant country exerts its power over a weaker country. Many European countries, including France, Britain, Germany, and Belgium, sought to dominate and gain imperialism over African countries for their natural resources. Germany’s chancellor Otto Von Bismark organized a meeting in Berlin to map out the European colonies in Africa. Britain grained control of the Suez Canal, placed a major naval base in Alexandria, and profited from the cotton cultivation. Belgium exploited the Congo with slavery, torture, and mass murder; the Congo’s population was halved in thirty years. Eventually, the United States sought an end to this imperialism with the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine declared the U.S. would respond if European powers seek to expand their influence in the Western Hemisphere, and the Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine declared the U.S. would intervene in Latin America to protect U.S. interests.

World War I began in a post-industrial era with Germany and Austria declaring war when the Archduke of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, Frances Ferdinand, was shot and killed on June 28, 1914. Russia joined the war and went to

This battle was between France and Germany and lasted from February 12th to December 18th 1916. This was the longest battle of World War I with 714,231 casualties. After the Battle of Verdun, the United States began to be recruited by both sides, but the U.S. was divided over who to support. Many citizens of the United States opposed intervention; however, Woodrow Wilson began to send supplies and aid to Britain with disregard to Secretary of State Willian Jennings Bryan’s wishes. By April 1917, the United States loaned over 2 billion dollars to the Triple Entete, 100 times the amount given to Germany. With this, Germany no longer viewed the U.S. as neutral in the