America as an Imperialist Power - Essay Example

? [Supervisor America as an Imperialist Power Introduction Imperialism is the policy or practice in which one country starts to enforce an indirect control over other weaker nation. The reason behind a weak nation being controlled by imperialists is because they have unbalanced economy, governance, and infrastructure. Imperialism comes into practice, when a stronger nation for the sake of economics and other political benefits take over the indirect control, which involves the use of power beyond its border on weaker nation. The cause of imperialism includes the unwillingness of the victim nations to control which is due to weak economics, foreign political structure and a threatening repute of strong holding states. The world still is suffering the consequences of imperialism, which took place in the last decades of the nineteenth century. It can be noticed that imperialism is applied by countries such as US or Germany, which has helped these countries to become significant influence in the global political and social setup. This paper aims to discus empire system and imperialism. It will provide a basis to evaluate America as an imperialist power. Furthermore, a debated context will be followed to elaborate the abstract (Hardt and Negri). Understanding Empire System To understand the entire study of empire system, it is important to first comprehend the word “empire”. The term empire comes from a Latin origination. Empire means power or authority, a control that associates to a kingdom, a state or an emperorship. Empire system basically intends to control over the sovereignty of other state by forceful means. An imperial system of government aims to acquire and get hold on colonies and lands of weak individual states due its ethnic, national, cultural, and religious diversification. Historically, an empire system emerges due to strong political – military dominance of population over the weak cultural and ethnic group. The system resembles a structure where power inflates and weak gets into biased retribution. This is to serve the agenda of emperorship and submerge a powerful geopolitical influence on other victimized nations. In contrast the empire system resembles the ancient roman emperorship, where cruelty, ruthlessness and brutality floated throughout the global political system (Howe). The study of empire helps in understanding, the developments and changes that took place around the world. It was just a swirling revolution where empire system dominated and passed on to the world politics. Scholars have firm believe that even today the ongoing changes and developments around the world are due to the presence of an empire system. Through researchers’ analysis it can be evidenced that empire rules have existed in the history and still are prevailing. The imperial system has been continually evolving with developments and instances that took place in historical eras. Thus, the definition of empire cannot be evaluated by one factor since it has numerous reasons to cope up with. As Stephen Howe’s states that the world has a complex history and intertwined equally with contested words such as colonialism, globalization, and imperialism (Howe). History of empires is to a great deal of world’s history. In fact it is being noted by researchers, that almost the entire history is associated with imperialism or colonialism. The significant study of empire is essential as it covers up all aspects related to countries originations and their contemporary situations. As some scholars consider that the world is becoming more and more flat due to cultural import and globalization by means of people, technology, and commerce. Moreover, study of empire explains the modern and historical migration, found in the world today such as cultural import, trade, religion practices, they all trace back to historical empires (Howe). Imperialism Context of Empire: Imperialism has been the most influential power during the last four to five centuries in the world history. In the dictionary of human geography, “imperialism” is defined as the formation and maintenance of an unbalanced economical, cultural and territorial relationship across the border by means of empire system, based on domination, power and authority. The word imperialism usually refers to a historical context, which means politics is a word of power and legislation, plus it is a rule of imperialism or emperorship. Imperialistic dominance is usually attained by military aggression, through which nation establishes and imposes rules and controls over others territories by cultural, economical and political approaches. This is system of warfare where the entire geopolitical situation swirls with imperialistic aggression (Bacevich). The Roman was the most wide-ranging western empire until early modern period. The British led the foundation of their first empire in North America by colonizing the northern part. The northern part of America also includes Canada and the colonies in America. In 1977, United States declared itself independent from the British Empire. This is also known as beginning of American Revolution in the nineteenth century. The concept of American imperialism was first introduced under the presidency of James. K. Polk, who actuated the roots of imperialism and emperorship (Bacevich). America as an Imperialist Power Going back to the history, where the founding fathers contributed in American Revolution, the constitution was with a much left space to fill up. The American politics was in the beginning, where legislations were about to be formulated, and a new political design is to be made-up. This was the intense period as the founding fathers were looking for a decisive foreign policy (Gordon). American Presidencies and Imperialism It was the time of 1730’s when George Washington, one of the leading founding fathers of American history, came up with a decisive foreign policy. His intent was to submerge the political entities and make congress a supreme area of conduct. This was to strengthen the congress in terms of foreign affairs and in terms of administrative policy development. In this period several seminars were conducted and brought European Kings and Monarchs into the appearance. It was to promote a common interest on trade and business culture. In this time cultural imperialism got projected but not with a clear perspective but still with a replicate feature, as the dominated states came up with a global vision of commerce and business. It was not ideal imperialism but just a start which later on picked up the strength in the early 19th century (Schlesinger). This was the time when imperialism got transferred from monarchs to American political system, as historians call it a revolutionary period of colonial and cultural imperialism. The earlier emperorship got transferred from Roman emperors to European monarchs and then to the heads of America. This was how imperialism of Egyptians transferred to the modern royal families of the world, next to the leaders of United States (Schlesinger). Since from the beginning, the founding fathers of American projected their perception of politics, it was decided that America is going to be a next super power, where the leaders will rule the world order, and that is going to be a “new world order” program. It was an order where United States will dominate the trade, culture, education, politics and the international agenda for dominating under developing countries. This is the fact which fits America in the context of “supreme imperialism” (Schlesinger). Victims of American Imperialism John .F. Kennedy An image of imperialism can be taken from the assassination of John. F. Kennedy, the second youngest president of United States. With recovering from the Vietnam War, J, F, Kennedy was under threat as he was not in support of war shed killings. He projected his liberal agenda, while at the same time got labeled and became the target of imperialist mind set. He was against war and bloodshed and hence wanted to retrieve the troops from Vietnam. It was a big massacre against communism and the communist rule, which never was a Kennedy’s way of governance. John. F. Kennedy got killed in November 1963, a time where imperialist mind sets architected his conspiring assassination (Schlesinger). Malcolm X Malcolm X, a Muslim minister and a very popular human activist, who became the victim of American cultural imperialist rule. His thoughts were against racism and cultural colonialism, and fought for the rights of Africans in America. He denied the reality which existed at that time of American politics, which was a colonial imperialist rule. He was attempted murder at the time of his famous address, held in New York, 1965 (Schlesinger). Industrial Revolution and Imperialism The scholarly abstracts enjoin early American politics with late Industrial revolution. In the period of the industrial revolution, where new businesses came on front and when a global channel of business got opened, imperialism picked up its pace in an ultimate way. A new picture of American traders showed up. An international channel of business promotion took place by American and European business administrators, who signed major business treaties to expand business in the international market. This was one major consequences of early promoted imperialism by the founding fathers of America. In the region they decided to commercialize the business interest and make it as global as possible to reach out the under developing nations. This was to fabricate a connection between strong world rulers with weak world administrators. This was to introduce FMCG trade and implement a global business concern (Hudson). From banking system to Emperorship One big example of cultural imperialism is of American banking system. It is one system which designs root for high loans and debts policies, which is for the under developing nations to get bankrupt. It is not type of direct imperialism, but one form of economic or cultural imperialism, where weak political countries had been the victims (Rothbard). Cultural Imperialism and America According to historians who turn the page of later imperialism with modern cultural imperialism, cultural imperialism has been in America’s agenda of Globalization and world dominance. The concept of the new world order is one form of cultural imperialism. How super power will connect globally and what would be the medium of connection, is a brief description of “cultural imperialism”. Since from the beginning, American politics have been associated with world domination and new world order conception (Hamm and Smandych). It is about dominating the cultures, languages, traditions, religions and life styles of the third world countries. This all would be in a manner that no one questions and America remains imperialistically on top (Hamm and Smandych). To form the imperialist rule, America has kept two way politics in the foreign affairs. One is “war”-a hard way to dominate and second is “soft politics”-a soft way to reach out the world. Since from 1960s, when media became a medium of information sharing, American politics used it as a tool of spreading the imperialist rule. Cultural imperialism is part of modern American culture and has been a way for influencing public in the rest of the world (Hamm and Smandych). In America’s agenda of promoting cultural imperialism, information is something very powerful to get used as a tool. It is something which commands people values, beliefs and principles respectively. This is to influence the “consciousness” and “self-interpretation” subjects in order to control and persuade a common man’s interest. Hollywood, fashion industry, music industry and the modern pop culture is part of today’s one world government program. It is one section of American imperialist’s rule which have set a major portion of modern media system. McDonalds, Coca-Cola, KFC, Philip Morris or Star bucks are icons of modern American imperialism, which economists call as ‘modern cultural imperialists” (Hamm and Smandych). George W. Bush and American Imperialism With insights of American politics, world had been changed a lot after 9-11, where a big impression was from George. W. Bush’s politics. He contributed a lot in modern political imperialism. George. W. Bush was one formal president who followed the Israeli way of command. White house, pentagon and Bush’s administration followed a modern imperialism agenda, in which the main objective is to progress America on world dominance politics. Iraq was the first victim and later Lebanon and then Afghanistan. Thousands and millions got killed and other became suspects in such horrible chaos, where Bush’s administration came up with a “War in Terror” appraisal. With several intellectual expressions, it was evidenced that 9-11 was an inside job conducted on Bush’s administration policy (Fouskas and Gokay). The policy was connected to Israel and their political legislation and dispatched a cold war situation in Muslim community of the world. This was another close example of ‘power politics’ and “American imperialism” (Fouskas and Gokay). Conclusion American politics have remained under criticism. This is due to the fact, that imperialist rule is part of American politics. From history, where early monarchs meet the American royal business groups, imperialism stood side by side in administration and trade. War and diplomacy both had been kept together in order to find a way out for one world government with a world dominating agenda (Gordon). There have been lots of victims of the American imperialist rule, likewise Iraq, Lebanon, Palestine or Afghanistan are the major countries of influence after 9-11 (Fouskas and Gokay). The war brought nothing but chaos of million people bloodshed. Controlling a common man’s interest and leading the belief and value system is one major section of American imperialist rule. This is how cultural imperialism is promoted and spread in the rest of the world’s states. The economics and social values got changed and have been under the influence of such emperorship rule. Today world is different, where economics and social statuses are changed as well. One world is with one word and that is word of “American Imperialism” (Gordon). Today America as an Imperialist power has stood with the power politics agenda, and the way it is progressing seems that Imperialism is going to rest in more persuasive means. The concept of globalization, one world government and world dominance is so far what American Politics have achieved, and with a scenario build up it seems that an empire system is going to revive from the history. Cultural Imperialism and power politics are side by side and this is all what forms the empire system of United States of America (Hardt and Negri). Works Cited Bacevich, A. The Imperial Tense: Prospects and Problems of American Empire. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee, 2003. Fouskas, Vassilis and Bulent Gokay. The New American Imperialism: Bush's War on Terror and Blood for Oil. Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2005. Gordon, Victor. America, the New Imperialism: From White Settlement to World Hegemony. London: Verso, 1978. Hamm, Bernd and Charles Smandych. Cultural Imperialism: Essays on the Political Economy of Cultural Domination. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2005. Hardt, Michael and Antonio Negri. Empire. Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2001. Howe, Stephen. Empire A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Hudson, Michael. Super imperialism: the origin and fundamentals of U.S. world dominance. London: Pluto Press, 2003. Rothbard, Murray. A History of Money and Banking in the United States. Auburn: Ludwig von Mises Institute, 2002. Schlesinger, Arthur. The Imperial Presidency. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. Read More