monroe doctrine

English - English

Definition of monroe doctrine in English English dictionary: the idea, stated in a speech by President James Monroe in 1823, that countries of Europe should not get involved in the affairs of the countries of North and South America, and, in exchange for this, the US would not get involved in European affairs. U.S. foreign-policy statement first enunciated by Pres. James Monroe on Dec. 2, 1823, declaring the Western Hemisphere off-limits to European colonization. Concerned that the European powers would attempt to restore Spain's former colonies, he declared, inter alia, that any attempt by a European power to control any nation in the Western Hemisphere would be viewed as a hostile act against the U.S. It was reiterated in 1845 and 1848 by Pres. James K. Polk to discourage Spain and Britain from establishing footholds in Oregon, California, or on Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula. In 1865 the U.S. massed troops on the Rio Grande to back up demands that France withdraw from Mexico. In 1904 Pres. Theodore Roosevelt added the Roosevelt Corollary, stating that in the event of flagrant wrongdoing by a Latin American state, the U.S. had the right to intervene in its internal affairs. As the U.S. became a world power, the Monroe Doctrine came to define the Western Hemisphere as a U.S. sphere of influence. See also Good Neighbor Policy; {i} political principle stated in 1823 by US President James Monroe opposing interference from European powers in the American continent; an American foreign policy opposing interference in the Western hemisphere from outside powers; See under Doctrine