Answer:
The answer is A.
Explanation:
The Monroe Doctrine of 1823 paved the way for imperialist US foreign policies because it essentially said that the country would oppose any new European colonies in the Americas. The sub-text here is that, if Europeans were not exerting imperialistic influence in the western hemisphere, then the United States would.
At the time when the Monroe Doctrine was issued, many Spanish and Portuguese colonies in the Americas were gaining independence. It seemed as though European influence in the region was waning and the United States, as the most powerful and influential nation in the hemisphere was poised to pick up where the European powers left off.