The America’s Colonial Problem

Double sided persuasive map of the world showing colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere, and a world map showing U.S. spending during WWII.

This map was published by the New York Sunday News in 1947 as part of a series of maps reflecting upon the postwar world. The image focuses on the European colonial possessions in the Western Hemisphere, supposedly America’s sphere of influence as laid out in the Monroe Doctrine in 1823. French, Dutch, Portuguese, Danish and French influence in the Caribbean and South America is portrayed as a threat to the region’s stability, but U.S. colonies in the Pacific are conveniently omitted. American naval bases are scattered throughout the oceans, projecting global power that was ascendant after the war, while chiding the country for not being able to keep house on its own backdoor.

On the verso of the board is a map of the world showing the spheres of Allied influence, and the corresponding amount of aid (and in what fashion) the United States provided each country. In total, over 66 billion dollars was spent, the vast majority going to the Lend-Lease program and Great Britain.