In this lesson you will read the flow chart below about the United States' Open Door Policy and complete the following map activity.
Open Door Policy Background
- In 1894, Japan defeated China in the Sino-Japanese War.
- England, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union quickly established trade rights with China.
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Open Door Policy Beliefs
- The United States economy depended on exports, and China was a large market with a lot of potential.
- The United States had the right to access all foreign markets, by force if necessary.
- The United States government believed it was protecting itself by keeping all markets open. A closed market was interpreted as a threat to the United States, because that country rejected the products, people, and ideals of the United States.
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Open Door Policy Events
- U.S. Secretary of State, John Hay, established the Open Door Policy when he declared in 1899 that other nations around the globe must share trading rights with the United States - specifically, trade with China would be based on an "open door" concept.
- Other nations (England, France, Germany, and the Soviet Union) agreed, China was not consulted.
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Impact of the Open Door Policy on U.S. Diplomacy
- For many years, the United States continued to operate under the principles of the Open Door Policy - using persuasion and force to keep all foreign markets open to trade with the United States.
After reading the information in the flow chart, place the Open Door Policy image on the country in which the United States wanted to openly trade.