A doctrine revised: The Venezuelan crisis of 1902 and the Roosevelt Corollary

The Monroe Doctrine has undergone several changes in interpretation and enforcement over the years. The most radical change is based upon the "Roosevelt Corollary". Announced in President Theodore Roosevelt's annual message to Congress in 1904, the Corollary provided a basis for the United States assuming the mantle of international policeman in the hemisphere.;In the early years of the twentieth century the countries of Great Britain, Germany, and Italy mounted a naval expedition which bombarded several port cities and blockaded Venezuela to redress grievances held against that country. This study examines the role the Venezuelan blockade of 1902-1903 had upon American perceptions of the Monroe Doctrine and the influence it had on the issuance of the Roosevelt Corollary.