One day, Theodore Roosevelt uttered the phrase: Big stick policy. It literally translates as "big baton politician." The expression has become a household word. It very vividly and figuratively characterized the behavior of the States in relation to neighbors in the early 20th century. Let's see what the “big baton of politics” gave to the Latin American states, and to all other members of the world community.
Definition
Rummaging through political directories, we find a brief description of the history of our expression. The United States at the beginning of the last century set a goal to achieve complete superiority in the Western Hemisphere. For this, the theory of a big baton was needed. US policy was as follows. When building relations with neighboring countries, they conducted outwardly normal negotiations, accompanying them with implicit threats. That is, if a certain state did not want to obey, then it could face open intervention. Openly, American diplomats did not threaten anyone. But within the framework of the "Big Club of Politics" there was a thesis about the right of the United States to aggression in certain cases, disguised as a guarantee to neighbors to help in case of crisis situations. Roosevelt proposed this doctrine in 1901. In his speech, he mentioned the proverb "Speak quietly, but hold a large club in your hands and you will go far." This West African wisdom gave the name to the politics of the USA at that time. It was used, on the one hand, to expand to weaker countries, and on the other, to protect markets from European partners.
US big baton policy: economic background
By the beginning of the twentieth century, the States had turned into a serious industrial-agrarian power. Corporations are not enough in the country. To develop and increase profits, they needed an expansion outside. Nearby were countries that could not compete in economic indicators with the United States. To understand what the policy of the big baton meant, a retrospective approach is needed. The mistress of the seas then was Great Britain. Until the end of the nineteenth century, this power was ahead of all others in economic indicators. The states fought desperately with the British for spheres of influence. And by the beginning of the 20th century, certain results were achieved. They developed their territories and they needed new resources. The US political establishment decided to carry out the colonial seizure of Latin American countries. The idea was to subjugate states without occupying them. This method was subsequently called neocolonial. The United States concluded treaties unfavorable for the latter with countries, effectively placing them in a subordinate position. You can give an example of the Dominican Republic. In 1904, an agreement was concluded with her, putting this country under the control of the United States economically and politically.
Idea development and design
Countries trying to resist were awaiting US intervention. The very idea of “protecting” the neighboring countries has evolved for some time. It was necessary to prove the superiority of the States over other countries and their right to deal with other people's problems. In his speeches, Roosevelt consistently formulated what the "big club of the politician" consists of (1904-1905). Latin American countries by this time were enslaved by European corporations. Failure to pay could lead to the arrival of overseas military on the territory of the debtor. This was opposed by the States. Roosevelt's paradigm was that you must first enter any country to prevent its capture by Europeans. Latin America has been declared a US area of interest. And they were not going to let anyone into this territory. That is, a completely adequate explanation was prepared for the world community about what a big baton policy is. Its definition was based on the shared principle of the preventiveness of one’s own interests. Nobody thought about the countries of Latin America and their population.
Practical implementation
The US defense of its interests was not limited to declarative statements. In practice, several interventions have been carried out. So, in 1903, the US military entered Panama. True, then such a state did not exist yet. Under the leadership of American advisers, a rebellion was raised in Colombia. Under the pretext of providing assistance, the US entered the troops. As a result, part of the territory was torn away from Colombia, and a new state arose here - Panama. Moreover, the best economic asset at that time turned out to be in its jurisdiction (the channel of the same name). In 1904, the United States established a political protectorate over the Dominican Republic. And in 1906 they invaded Cuba in order to “resolve” the armed conflict that arose there. In fact, any intervention was profitable for American corporations. With the help of military force, they expelled their European competitors from the occupied territories.
Dollar diplomacy
Pressure by force could not last forever. In 1910, a dollar was added to a large club. That is, economic expansion into the vastness of neighboring countries was considered more acceptable due to its flexibility. Countries were subordinated due to the seizure of their economic resources, carried out on completely legal grounds. Corporations bought promising assets, acting under the protection of the same club. In this way, the hegemony of the USA on the American continent was asserted. The pretext for pressure on the neighbors was to protect them from aggression by other powers or to protect the interests of American citizens. Relapses of a large baton occurred later. For example, armed intervention on the small island of Grenada. There, too, the military defended the "rights of Americans."
