Special Interest Groups And Open-door Policy (1895 - 1907)

As a channel for the public to participate in government and political affairs, Special Interest Groups, which exist in every field of the American society and reflect it?s diversity, can exert great influence on domestic politics and governmental policy. It were the Special Interest Groups with various interests in China that drove the administration to formulate and preserve the Policy of Open Door. There are five sections in this thesis. The preface is about the foreign and our historian?s studying of this subject. Comparing with the foreign historians? detailed studying of the Special Interests Groups?motives and actions in the formulation and preservation of the Open Door policy, our historians studying is relatively weak. In the first section, this paper recount the history of American?s trade with China and American policy toward China. The steadly increasing American trade to China and the potentially great China market have a strong appeal to American industrial and Commercial circles. However, given the junior status in powers,, American policy towards China after The Opium War was achieving its objectives in the wake of powers. The Special Interest Groups with various interests in China among which American China Development Company is an outstanding one, endeavoring to increase trade and investment in China. In this course, the origin of principles involving in the Open Door Policy were partly put forth. The second section tells us the background in which the Open Door Policy was put forth. Facing the arising expansionism and the impending threaten of abroad market being closed to America, the Industrial and Commericial circls put forth the principle of free trade. But the American goverment officials, specially Secretary Sherman, were indifferent to China problem. This attitude couldn?t ?? satisfy the members of Special Interest Groups, who were stirred to attack the government. The third section is about Special Interest Groups?actions and the response of the American Government in order to exaggerate their influence. They established擜merican Asiatic Association?(AAA) and its branches, published the 揂isa攎agzine. The principles involving in the Open Door policy were basically crystallized. Under this pressure, American government had to take such actions as replacing Sherman with Hay. In 1899 and 1900, Secretary John Hay delivered a circular messages to other powers which reflected demands of the Special Interest Groups. The Open Door Policy was thus formly defined. The fourth section is about the Special Interest Groups?efforts to preserve the Open Door policy. After Anti ?American Boycott was broken out in China in 1905 , they lobbied among government officials and Cogress representives in order to modify the Chinese exclusion laws and to subside Chinese emotion of anti ? America. The last section evaluates the influence of the Special Intertst Group in the American politics. Special Interest Groups as independent social force have great influence on domestic polities and governmental policy ?making, which is an characteristically feature of American democracy.