Theodore Roosevelt and American Imperialism

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How Roosevelt Made America an Imperialistic Power

Introduction

President (Theodore ) Roosevelt 's tenure was central to the rise of America as a dominant world power in the 20th century . Through a combination of military ambition , diplomatic tact and occupation - at times colonialism , the President moved the U .S from an ordinary global power at the turn of the century into a formidable force in geopolitics by the time he left office . This explores the dynamics behind America 's rise under Roosevelt

Military

p At the turn of the 20th century , America was a minor power militarily In fact , the American-Mexican war at the close of the 19th century was fought with the aid of volunteers and a number of National Guard troops As of 1890 , America 's Federal standing army was merely 39000-man strong a puny number when compared with other powers such as France whose Army was upwards of half a million

Roosevelt gave Elihu Root , his Secretary of war , a free hand to build up a strong army . Root instilled discipline into the forces by establishing the U .S Army War College , where soldiers could be highly trained . He also introduced the concept of a European style General Staff position for the head of the military . He expanded the size of the army considerably

The navy before Roosevelt was as weak as the army was , and this unsettled the President somewhat , given that the country would be at a disadvantage should they fall...