The "Open Door" policy was introduced by President McKinley because he was an imperialist who believed that China had an opportunity to free exchange that would greatly benefit the United States. Americans were convinced that there was a large market in China that could help the American economy emerge from depression and bring about economic change. They therefore viewed the Far East as a vital area for the expansion of American commerce. With the introduction of Open Door trading, this expansion could be achieved. Say no to plagiarism. Get a Custom Essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essay America knew there was European interference in China and did not want to conflict with that, so by introducing free trade, American commerce would benefit and therefore would not come into contact with European powers because everyone had the right to trade. McKinley believed that by maintaining the balance of the great powers of the world; With no power being more powerful than another, peace would be maintained and therefore, due to this reduction in international competition, this added to the reason why McKinley wanted an open door policy to be adopted. The US government assumed that if the policy were to be introduced, China and Japan would theoretically have to remain satisfied. If this policy were to be introduced, China would be happy because it would be freed from the overly powerful influence of rivals Japan and Russia, and McKinley would therefore also be able to protect American interests in China. McKinley believed that Japan would remain happy because he knew that they were also looking to expand their markets, and that a free trade market would allow them to do so. Another reason why this principle was adopted was the influence of Alfred Thayer Mahan on political decisions. Mahan was a close friend of then-President Theodore Roosevelt, and Roosevelt therefore accepted Mahan's arguments that by investing in China, the United States could build naval bases and that America would therefore have a foreign policy more “avant-garde”, based on modern maritime power. By expanding the US Navy, America would appear more powerful in the eyes of other countries with great maritime power, capable of defending itself against attacks from other powers, particularly Europeans, and could join the list of world powers. The Boxer Rebellion led to great instability in China, and the US government came to the aid of restoring order, making it seem as though it was their duty to impose this door policy. opened to protect China, because he had no choice but to 'help'. The United States (along with foreign governments) worked to send an international force to China that was ultimately successful in dealing with the Boxers. As a result, the open door policy was applied to all of China, with America arguing that it needed protection because it was defenseless; however, in reality, China was actually colonized. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay The Open Door Policy was introduced as McKinley and Roosevelt wanted America to become a superpower and knew that by imposing a foreign policy and thus expanding trade zones and naval bases this could be achieved . China had a large market, which was fundamental..