Not to derail the topic, but the USA has generally flip flopped with isolationism, unsurprisingly being used as a political foot […]
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brostenen wrote on 2020-11-22, 10:12:
drosse1meyer wrote on 2020-11-20, 21:22:
Something I didnt see mentioned - the British Empire reigned over much of the world for a very long time. This surely was a major factor in spreading English around the globe. Then the US took the baton after WW1 and WW2, which enhanced this even more - global economic dominance, cultural dominance (e.g. Hollywood), center of world diplomacy (the U.N.), etc etc.
As a native English speaker, I have no conception of how difficult the language is for foreigners to master, I've heard there are pros and cons. Apparently there are a lot of 'sss' sounds in English? idk. At least we don't have to memorize noun genders.
Both yes and no. America went into isolation politics, after WW1. The US President at that time (Woodrow Wilson), was in the opinion, that is was in the best interrest of the US. However, nobody was able to stop the spread of culture, hence the world took in everything the roaring 20's provided of US culture. The spread of English was cultural and not political driven at that time. It sure did change during the 1940's.
Not to derail the topic, but the USA has generally flip flopped with isolationism, unsurprisingly being used as a political football. The late 1800s and early 1900s were littered with the US intervening in other countries, most notably in the Caribbean (Cuba, Haiti), the Philippines, and don't forget Commodore Perry "opening Japan" to the world. This was furthered via "Wilsonianism."
Woodrow Wilson was one of the worst US presidents ever, who was only elected because Teddy Roosevelt split the Republican votes by running as a third party. Wilson was very imperialistic and authoritarian in his writings and he bought into the Southern 'lost cause revisionism.' This perpetuated much of the racism which eventually institutionalized in the south in the form of Jim Crow laws, and the creation of the KKK. I mean come on, he even had a viewing for "Birth of a Nation" at the White House.
Ironically, Wilson campaigned on neutrality in 1916, despite his earlier imperialistic positions, but you have to remember, he flip flopped on that as well , as shown in 1917. He also pushed through the terrible Espionage and Sedition Acts, smothering free speech and civil liberties, and turned a blind eye to the increased racial bloodbaths in the south as well as terrorizing his own citizens with the 'intelligence agencies' (e.g. the M.I.D.) created during the war years.
Obviously he ended up entering WW1, ostensibly his ultimate goal was the "League of Nations" but that was an utter failure as well, as the US Congress refused to ratify. Perhaps he should have stuck to concentrating on domestic issues.
There was definitely a renewed isolationist mindset in the 30s due to the recent memory of WW1, but again, public sentiments can change, for various reasons.