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How did the United States launch a covert mission of global regime change in the 19th century?
Since the 19th century, the U.S. government has participated in and intervened in the changes of many foreign governments through open and covert means. In the second half of the 19th century, the United States focused primarily on regime change in Latin America and the Southwest Pacific, including operations in the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the United States has formed or installed governments in many countries around the world, including Hawai'i, Panama, Nicaragua, Mexico, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. During World War II, the United States helped to overthrow many of the puppet regimes of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan.
For example, in the Philippines, Korea, eastern China, and parts of Europe, American troops worked closely with Britain and the Soviet Union to help bring down the government of Adolf Hitler and to overthrow Benito Mussolini in Italy.
After the end of World War II, the United States faced a battle with the Soviet Union for global leadership and influence. Under the Truman administration, the U.S. government's fear of the spread of communism, sometimes with intervention from the Soviet Union itself, led to the famous domino theory, which was later used by several presidents. The United States then began to expand its sphere of operations beyond its traditional areas of Central America and the Caribbean. Major operations included the 1953 Iranian coup planned by the United States and Britain, the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba, and support for the Sukarno regime in Indonesia.
According to one study, the United States conducted at least 81 overt and covert foreign election interferences between 1946 and 2000. Another study showed that during the Cold War, the United States launched 64 covert and six overt regime change attempts.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States led or supported multiple wars to determine how various countries were governed. U.S. objectives in these conflicts include fighting a war on terror (as in Afghanistan) or removing a regime accused of possessing weapons of mass destruction (as in Iraq).
Regime change in the United States before 1887
The Acquisition of Texas and the Invasion of California, 1846–1848
The United States announces the annexation of Texas, a state that Mexico considers a rebellious state. The United States then went to war with Mexico and seized Alta California from Mexico.
Mexican Intervention, 1865–1867
During the American Civil War, France and other countries attacked Mexico to collect debts, and France subsequently installed Habsburg Prince Maximilian I as Emperor of Mexico. After the Civil War, the United States supported Mexican liberals, which ultimately led to the overthrow of Maximilian.
"The Monroe Doctrine, which was just a theory eight years ago, has now become an irreversible fact." This sentence shows the US's position on foreign intervention at the time.
1887–1912: American expansionism and the Roosevelt administration
1880s: Samoan Crisis
In the 1880s, Samoa was a monarchy with two competing claimants to the throne, leading to conflict between the United States, Germany, and Britain.
1893: The fall of the Kingdom of Hawaii
On January 17, 1893, Hawaii's native ruler Queen Liliuokalani was overthrown by anti-monarchist forces, mainly in the United States. Hawaii was eventually annexed to the United States in 1898 through the Newlands Resolution.
Further interventions
Further cases, including the Philippine Question of 1899-1902 and the military intervention in Honduras in 1903, highlight the United States' global influence and geopolitical dynamics.
The beginning of the 20th century, coupled with wartime operations, further propelled the United States toward a dominant position on the international stage. However, can the intentions and strategies behind these actions be understood by contemporary people?
