Social Darwinism, social imperialism and rapprochement: Theodore Roosevelt and the English-speaking peoples, 1886--1901

The social and political relationship between the United States and Great Britain that emerged at the beginning of the 20th century has been a fruitful partnership that has lasted through two world wars and numerous military forays. The steadfast bond between the two nations has not always been so strong, however, particularly prior to 1898, when few could have predicted its depth and longevity. This dissertation attempts to trace the friendships and actions of one man, Theodore Roosevelt, demonstrating how the change in his attitude toward Great Britain helped lead to the "Great Rapprochement" between the two nations. Roosevelt is viewed in the context of his personal friendships and his social-imperialist, social-Darwinist ideology, which provided the impetus to accord a "most favored nation" status to Britain by the time of his Presidency. By that time Roosevelt, prodded by his British correspondents and friendships, had formulated for himself the reasons why Anglo-American cooperation was beneficial and perhaps essential to each nation, and to the Anglo-Saxon "race" as a whole. This dissertation covers the period 1896 to 1901, demonstrating the evolution of Theodore Roosevelt's political philosophy and how it was honed through interaction with several influential British friends and correspondents. This philosophy encompassed aspirations for a more assertive role for the United States in international affairs and the importance of an Anglo-American friendship in bringing about the emergence of the United States as a world power. Roosevelt's British friendships, particularly with Cecil Arthur Spring Rice, James Bryce, Arthur Lee, Rudyard Kipling and John St. Loe Strachey are examined, as are his relations with Americans such as Alfred Thayer Mahan, Henry Cabot Lodge, John Hay and Brooks Adams. The dissertation contends that Roosevelt's support of Great Britain amounted to a nearly "most favored nation" status by 1901, and that this attitude was taken by Roosevelt into the Presidency, allowing trust to build between the two countries and making possible the cooperation in the First World War and since.