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How the Monroe Doctrine Turned into American Imperialism
When President James Monroe issued his Monroe Doctrine in 1823, he intended it to keep European colonial powers from dominating Latin American peoples or interfering in their political affairs. President Theodore Roosevelt’s Corollary to the doctrine eight decades later, however, turned Monroe’s foreign policy legacy into a weapon of American colonialism, which still sours American relations with Latin America.
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Why Did Western Europe Explore and Colonize?
Western Europe—beginning in the 15th century—succeeded in spreading its peoples, languages, and cultures across a greater expanse of the globe than any region in world history. But why exactly did Western Europeans explore and colonize to such an extent? Simply having the capability to explore and colonize doesn’t adequately explain why nations do it. Neither the Romans nor the Chinese felt the need to devote their resources to sea exploration as the Western Europeans did in the 15th and 16th centuries.
