Reaction in Europe to an American Takeover of Mexico

In OTL, this was an all-Mexico movement that obviously did not come to pass. This site already discussed what the domestic issues would be like.

My question is, how would the foreign powers deal with this? The United States now controls the entire Gulf of Mexico and there is no southern neighbor they can arm that can fight the U.S. should the need arise. Would Britain and France declare a protectorate over Central and South America to prevent further expansion?
 
In OTL, this was an all-Mexico movement that obviously did not come to pass. This site already discussed what the domestic issues would be like.

My question is, how would the foreign powers deal with this? The United States now controls the entire Gulf of Mexico and there is no southern neighbor they can arm to fight the U.S. should the need arise. Would Britain and France declare a protectorate over Central and South America to prevent further expansion?

No they didn't care about Central America.
 
You're saying they'd just give the U.S. a free hand in the Americas without any hope for a balance of power? That seems so unlike them. :p
 
Agree completely

I tend to disagree a bit... IMHO they wouldn't mind too much if their intrests aren't hurt; however I do agree that US expansion before 1900 in for instance Asia or Africa would result in more European objections.
 
I tend to disagree a bit... IMHO they wouldn't mind too much if their intrests aren't hurt; however I do agree that US expansion before 1900 in for instance Asia or Africa would result in more European objections.

But we're not talking about Asia or Africa. Prior to the Spanish-American War, the Americas were considered so far removed from what mattered in the European balance of power that Britain and France could care less if the US owned the entire western hemisphere, as long as the US didn't mess with their own remaining colonies. Since the US Monroe Doctrine did provide this assurance, there wouldn't be a peep about Mexico. There wasn't about Alaska. I also don't think there was even much concern when the US went to war with Spain as long as the US conquests were limited to the new world.
 
Maybe the English were more interested about an intervention in Central America, for the French i don't know: but i want to know if this takeover would happened before of after 1861
 
But we're not talking about Asia or Africa. Prior to the Spanish-American War, the Americas were considered so far removed from what mattered in the European balance of power that Britain and France could care less if the US owned the entire western hemisphere, as long as the US didn't mess with their own remaining colonies. Since the US Monroe Doctrine did provide this assurance, there wouldn't be a peep about Mexico. There wasn't about Alaska. I also don't think there was even much concern when the US went to war with Spain as long as the US conquests were limited to the new world.

Owning it no, but there are also other intrests like trade. So I repeat as long as their own intrests aren't hurt, they might allow it, but they will get worried at some point; there is no way that the European Great Powers of that era would have allowed the USA to conquer the entire Western hemisphere; although I doubt that the US had the means or will to do this, expanding political influence is more likely.
 
You're saying they'd just give the U.S. a free hand in the Americas without any hope for a balance of power? That seems so unlike them. :p

No, it's actually very like them. The balance of power involved Europe and European powers. By maintaing strict neutrality, the US didn't figure into these calculations until the early 20th century - and even then only tangentally. Thus, if anything, US dominance in the new world was good for everybody in Europe
 
The British at least are going to be concerned about their holdings in the continent (Canada) if the US is suddenly expanding across the rest of the continent. Spain will be worried about the rest of their colonies if this is before 1898. If this takeover is post-1880, France is going to be concerned about the balance of power, especially as they're working on building the Panama Canal.

Regardless of those considerations though, the European powers, great and small, as well as Japan (if post-1868) are going to be worried about the already large, industrialized and powerful, continent-spanning United States suddenly growing by a third of its size. Yes, its across the Atlantic (and Pacific), but its now quite massive, and a growing industrial and financial titan. The balance of power will have been drastically changed by a US Conquest of Mexico, and the Europeans are going to treat the US differently than they did IOTL. Especially as the US assimilates Mexican people and culture, expect an idea of European society growing that is very different from IOTL's ideal of Western society. The ITTL Great War will be seen more-so as a European Civil War, especially if Russia falls to the Communists as per IOTL.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
I suspect European powers would some come knocking to the US to inform that they are now going to deal with Mexico's "war reparations and debts" which at the time were more enforcing european armed thuggery to extract every last bit of silver they could from the country in the name of loyalists who packed up and left.
 
I suspect European powers would some come knocking to the US to inform that they are now going to deal with Mexico's "war reparations and debts" which at the time were more enforcing european armed thuggery to extract every last bit of silver they could from the country in the name of loyalists who packed up and left.

I thought the Mexicans already bought off all the loyalists relatively early in its independence, to the point gold church bells were melted down and shipped abroad.

Also, which European powers could manage this, especially if the British are opposed? They were the real power behind the Monroe Doctrine, after all.
 

archaeogeek

Banned
I thought the Mexicans already bought off all the loyalists relatively early in its independence, to the point gold church bells were melted down and shipped abroad.

Also, which European powers could manage this, especially if the British are opposed? They were the real power behind the Monroe Doctrine, after all.

The french Bourbons actually kept claiming reparations in the name of french nationals until the fall of the monarchy - this led to the pastry war in 1838, a nearly year-long blockade of Mexican ports by the french navy: the British didn't particularly care.

So going as per OTL: France.
 
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