“Ideology was the main reason for the expansionist foreign policies of the US.” Discuss.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review that includes a range of arguments as to the suggestion that ideology was the main reason for the expansionist foreign policies of the US. In respect to ideology, candidates may refer to the significance of ideas relating to Manifest Destiny and expansionism as a moral duty linked to the tenets of Social Darwinism. Economic causes for expansionist policies could also be explained, including the need for resources and markets given industrial growth and the impact of the 1870s Depression. Social factors might include the influence of Christian missionaries. Geopolitical causes for expansionist policies could be explained including the need to secure control over strategic sites, such as the Panama Canal, Hawaii, and the Samoan islands. Other political causes for expansionist policies could also be addressed, including the need to expand influence given European competition, as in Venezuela or Cuba.

The question required candidates to offer a considered and balanced review that included a range of arguments as to the suggestion that ideology was the main reason for the expansionist foreign policies of the US. The question was quite popular and candidates often provided good depth of knowledge with valid examples as to the main forces contributing to US expansionism. However, most saw the motives as mixed between economic, political and ideological factors. Fewer candidates were able to demonstrate a clear understanding of the role of ideas, as compared to economic and political forces in contributing to expansionism.