American imperialism in Latin America at the beginning of the 20th century has been explained, in part, as a response to the threat posed by Germany in the region. But, as Nancy Mitchell demonstrates, the German actions that made the US defensive - and have been held up ever since as evidence that Germany aimed to challenge the Monroe Doctrine - prove to be, on close inspection of German, US and British archives, a potent mix of German bombast and American paranoia. Simply put, says Mitchell, there was no German threat in Latin America. Mitchell's case hinges on the careful investigation of four important matters: the development of German and US war plans, Theodore Roosevelt's response to the Anglo-German blockade of Venezuela, the German presence in southern Brazil and the evolution of Woodrow Wilson's Mexican policy. Her analysis of German actions exposes the persistent US tendency to exaggerate the threat that Wilhelmine Germany posed to Latin America. Germany's ambitions, recklessly proclaimed but never translated into policy, allowed the United States to disguise its intervention in Latin America as the protection of the region from rapacious Europeans, rather than the imperialism of a rising power.
About the Author :
Nancy Mitchell is associate professor of history at North Carolina State University.
Review :
"[An] ambitious and persuasive study. . . . This fine book no doubt will elicit controversy and debate. It bravely states a dissenting view and effectively marshals strong arguments and an array of evidence in its support. Scholars no longer can look upon the issue in quite the same way as before." -- American Historical Review
"A fine book in an engaging style. . . . [It is] one of the most engaging and rewarding monographs. . . . Her scholarship is thoroughly researched, thoughtful, and vigorously argued." -- Journal of Military History
"A well-researched, gracefully written and subtle analysis of three principal theatres of contact: Venezuela, Brazil and Mexico in the first two decades of the twentieth century. . . . [This book] provides a reasoned, well-researched and geographically broad analysis of German-United States relations in Latin America. In that it makes an important contribution to our understanding of one aspect of imperialism." -- Latin American Studies
"Covers a crucial period in Latin American history. . . . An important study, which is clearly written and nicely illustrated." -- Times Literary Supplement
"Drawing from government correspondence and a vast array of European and U.S. newspapers, [Mitchell] engages various scholarly debates concerning German intentions, emphasizing the importance of differentiating between goals, rhetoric, public opinion, and real policy. Her command of the relevant literature and minutiae of each episode is impressive, and her analysis of comments in the margins of official documents is insightful." -- CHOICE
"Mitchell's book underscores the need for continual reassessment of received wisdom. . . . It shows that perceptions of foreign threats often say as much about those doing the perceiving as about those being perceived." -- Raleigh News & Observer
"This highly readable and well-researched tome is concerned with the period from 1898, when Germany began to construct a High Seas Fleet and the USA achieved victory in the Spanish-American War, up to the First World War." -- German History
