One of the most important big-picture topics on the AP® US History exam is foreign policy. Familiarizing yourself with major foreign policy trends, as well as their legacies, will help you think critically about patterns of international relations and tackle multiple-choice questions, DBQs, and essays. In this APUSH Crash Course Review, we will explore the key elements about one of these vital diplomacy tactics: FDR’s Good Neighbor policy.
What is the Good Neighbor Policy?
The term Good Neighbor policy refers to American foreign policy toward Latin America under the Franklin Roosevelt administration. Its most important principles were nonintervention and noninterference. This essentially means that the United States would leave domestic affairs in Latin America to themselves. Most importantly, the new American policy would be against armed intervention.
Being a “good neighbor” also meant that the US would make more of an effort to engage in economic deals and exchanges with Latin American nations. The Roosevelt administration’s goal was to reassert American presence in Latin American affairs and restore their reputation as a valuable ally through reciprocal trade agreements. Plus, acting like a good neighbor would have the bonus of hemispheric unity – US citizens would (hopefully) have a more open mind toward Central and South Americans.
Why is the Good Neighbor Policy important?
Good Neighbor Policy has an interesting legacy in comparison with shifts in diplomacy fairly soon after its implementation. Even though President Roosevelt was trying to focus on independent internationalism in the 1930s, he would soon be forced to shift to a policy of interventionism and containment as international relations crumbled leading up to the Second World War.
But we’ll review more of that later. For now, let’s look at the key concepts you need to know for the APUSH exam.
To show that the United States could really be a good neighbor, FDR assigned Secretary of State Cordell Hull to the task of strengthening ties with Latin American countries. He did so at the Montevideo Convention – a Pan-American conference about statehood in 1933. Secretary Hull officially declared Good Neighbor Policy as one of nonintervention in Latin America.
As a demonstration of the United States’ commitment to being a good neighbor who stays in his own yard, US Marines were withdrawn from Haiti and Nicaragua. In addition, FDR developed more generous policies of immigration into the US, especially from Mexico.
What’s more, the Roosevelt administration signed the Cuban-American Treaty of Relations of 1934, which annulled the Platt Amendment. What was the Platt Amendment? Well, it wasn’t good for Cuba. It was signed into law in 1901 and proposed stipulations for the withdrawal of United States troops that stayed in Cuba after the Spanish-American War. In short, it was a way for the United States to dominate unfairly Cuban affairs. The most notable conditions allowed the US to intervene unilaterally in Cuban affairs and to maintain naval bases on the island.
When President Roosevelt annulled the Platt Amendment, most of the provisions were removed. However, it did not nullify all of the US’s influence in Cuba; the pledge to lease land for naval bases remained, and we see that decision’s legacy today at Guantanamo Bay.
All of FDR’s actions under Good Neighbor Policy sought to maintain national sovereignty for Latin American nations. Eventually, efforts to improve relations would pay off – after World War II, the US was able to persuade many Latin American countries to join the Organization of American States (a regional group within the United Nations).
It is important to remember that noninterventionism was only one of many phases of President Roosevelt’s foreign policy. After all, he was elected four times, and there was a lot happening in terms of international relations in the 1930s and 40s. He wanted a balanced internationalism because of its economic and political benefits; however, his optimism was kept in check by the economic constraints of the Great Depression as well as isolationist sentiment among the public. Eventually, when the US entered the war, FDR would have to focus less on being a good neighbor and more on intervening where people were threatened.
Take note of how these policies shifted leading up to the onset of the Second World War. We will give you more details when we talk about the essays and the DBQ.
What You Need to Know for the APUSH Exam – Multiple-Choice
The multiple-choice section on the AP® United States History exam could ask you either about specific elements of Roosevelt’s foreign policy or its broader implications. You should be familiar with the key players, like FDR and Cordell Hull, as well as the specific actions under Good Neighbor Policy such as repealing the Platt Amendment.
College Board does not release past APUSH multiple-choice questions. However, here is an example of a question similar to those that could appear on the exam:
President Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy sought to accomplish which of the following?
- Establish a standard of containment of aggressor nations
- Direct military action alongside the Allied nations in Europe
- Isolate the United States from international affairs during the Great Depression
- Strengthen ties with Latin America through economic cooperation
- Supply Allied nations with food, fuel, and materiel during World War II
The correct answer is D. Choices A, B, and E all refer to Roosevelt’s later foreign policies regarding the war. Don’t be tricked by Choice C – Good Neighbor Policy wasn’t full isolationism. Make sure you read through all of the multiple-choice options carefully so you can be sure to pick the best answer.
What You Need to Know for the APUSH Exam – Essays and Document-Based Questions
In the Essay and Document-Based Question sections, you have a chance to show off your knowledge of foreign policy shifts throughout the 20th century. This is where you will talk about the shift from isolationism after World War I, to the selective internationalism of the Good Neighbor Policy, to increased strategies of containment and intervention during the war.
On the 2014 APUSH exam, students were given the following DBQ:
How and why did the goals of United States foreign policy change from the end of the First World War (1918) to the end of the Korean War (1953)?
When writing a DBQ like this one, you have the perfect opportunity to demonstrate your knowledge of Good Neighbor Policy. However, you also have to tie it to the changes in foreign policy that the question asks for. Always make sure you address every part of the question, and don’t get too caught up in the details of only one policy.
In these DBQs, AP® graders looked for discussion of Franklin Roosevelt’s more internationalist approach to foreign policy, and how he was limited by public opinion and by Congress. You should discuss Good Neighbor Policy in general, and dive into the pledges at the Montevideo Convention, reciprocal trade deals, and withdrawal of troops in Latin America.
In the transition between Good Neighbor nonintervention and the eventual aggression when the war broke out, make sure to mention the Neutrality Acts of 1935-1937 and the country’s neutrality during the Spanish Civil War. These instances will show how Congress and the public leaned more toward an attitude of isolationism.
After discussing Good Neighbor Policy, write about increased interventionism and alliances during the Second World War; the end of the war, and efforts to promote international cooperation; the onset of the Cold War and the arms race with the Soviet Union; and containment policy ahead of involvement in the Korean War.
For more details on how to successfully tackle a DBQ like this one, you can check out College Board’s scoring guidelines.
Understanding foreign policy and how it changes in response to shifting international affairs can be tricky. But now that you’ve made it through our AP® US History crash course review, you can feel confident in your knowledge of Franklin Roosevelt’s Good Neighbor Policy. With this review as a starting point, you’re well on your way to success on the APUSH exam.
Let’s put everything into practice. Try this AP® US History practice question:
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