Good Neighbor policy

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The "Good Neighbor" policy was the policy of the United States Administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in relation to Latin America and Europe during 1933-45.

During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the sovereignty of many Latin American nations had been routinely undermined by more powerful countries. Whenever a wealthy nation felt its debts were not being repaid in a prompt fashion, its citizens' business interests were being threatened, or its access to natural resources were being unfairly impeded, military intervention or threats were often used to coerce the respective government into compliance. The United States was particularly aggressive in this regard, and had actually invaded and occupied several Latin American nations in the hemisphere for economic reasons.

Constant interventionism became increasingly unpopular in the United States, however. Some felt it was imperialistic for the United States to act in such a manner, devising a foreign policy around the interest of purely economic motivations. Others agreed, but for different reasons. They felt that American intervention in Latin America had bred a culture of resentment and anti-Americanism in the region, which was beginning to manifest in the form of ultra-nationalist and protectionist measures by those countries' governments. In addition, many other people objected to the huge expenses involved in raising armies to help govern Latin American countries. This opposition increased heavily during the Great Depression, as many people believed that the money being used for imperialism could be put to better use to help the poor people hit by the Depression.