Differences in economic and political culture between Western Europe and the United States - Research Paper Example

College: Differences in Economic and Political Culture between Western Europe and the United s Western Europe and United States have different economic and political cultures. Although there have been cases where some cultures have been replicated or adopted across Western Europe and America, there still remain major rifts between the two sides of the Pacific Ocean. Issues of globalization and historical incidents such as the two World Wars and the Cold War have been largely responsible for the different economic and political cultures between the United States and countries of Western Europe. Today, the US is considered as a capitalist nation with global influence. On the other hand, Western Europe has tended to maintain a welfare state status where socialism is dominant. Depending on which side one takes, it is possible to argue about the pros and cons of either side. For Western Europe, the capitalistic nature of the United States is bad and unsustainable. From the United States’ perspective, the welfare state in Europe is unsustainable. These represent the underlying differences in the economic and political cultures of the two sides. Imperialism An in-depth understanding of the economic and political cultures in the United States and Western Europe should begin with a look into the aspect of imperialism. Imperialism is whereby a nation or society develops dominance over another. Colonialism was a typical example of imperialism where European powers colonized various countries across the world including America. Through colonization, the European powers sought to establish dominance and influence over the colonized societies. Imperialism has gained support and disapproval in equal measure. Among the supporters of imperialism were Johan Stuart Mill and Karl Marx, who defended imperialism on the basis of advancing primitive societies. On the other hand, Denis Diderot and Immanuel Kant opposed imperialism on the basis of the cruelty that it exerted on the native societies (Lee 1). Imperialism can take different forms, including political imperialism, economic imperialism, and cultural imperialism. Before the rise of America, Western Europe exerted political, economic, and cultural imperialism in America and across different parts of the world. America was under the rule of the British Empire, which exercised economic, political, and cultural dominance of the American society. For instance, the British Empire had divided America into various smaller colonies for effective control. The economic activities in these colonies were controlled by the colonial masters. This included agriculture and trading (Stratfor Global Intelligence n.p.). This era of imperialism can be referred to as European imperialism because the imperialists were mainly European powers. European imperialism was replaced by American imperialism towards the end of the 19th century. American imperialism is the aggressive foreign policy adopted by the US to control other countries in the world through economic, military, cultural, and political imperialism. The United States is a world superpower, owing to this shift of imperialism in its favor. The US has directly been involved in various parts of the world through its military interventions as part of its imperialism. Some specific examples of this military imperialism include the Vietnam War, the Gulf Wars, and the fall of Libyan dictator Muamar Gaddafi. Today, the US foreign policy is a major part of the country’s imperialism. Apart from military intervention, the US is also using its imperialism to advance its economic, political, and cultural interests. In terms of economic imperialism, US corporations such as Wal-Mart are among the largest in the world and operate in many countries. The US corporations are exploiting markets for American goods and services and reaping billions of dollars that sustain the country’s economy. In terms of political imperialism, the US has been involved in toppling regimes, including Muamar Gaddafi and Saddam Hussein. In terms of cultural imperialism, the US culture, including music and fashion has spread across the world. This means that the roles have shifted from Western Europe as the imperialists to America as the imperialist. This is one of the main issues when comparing the political and economic cultures of the United States and Western Europe. For some, American imperialism is a way of supporting self governance and democracy in the world. To some extent, this is true because America has toppled several dictatorial regimes and led to democratically elected governments. However, several critics have observed that American imperialism is ill-intentioned and bad. One of the main critics of American imperialism and foreign policy is respected academician and philosopher Noam Chomsky, who notes that American imperialism is clogged with propaganda and ill-intentions (Chomsky 19). Either perspective, one takes on American imperialism, it is a fact that America is now the imperialist while Western Europe’s dominance has faded away. American Capitalism and Western Europe’s Welfare State Another major difference between the economic and political culture between the United States and Western Europe is the American capitalism and Western’s Europe’s welfare state. Capitalism is a political and social ideology that favours private ownership and control of resources over state control. Capitalism is often associated with free market and individualism. The United States in considered to the epitome of capitalism in the world. This can be traced back to the Cold War period, where America played a major role in expanding capitalism over communism. Together with some European allies from Eastern Europe, America strived to oppress communism, which had spread across Western Europe. The Cold War collapsed with capitalism taking victory over communism. The collapse of the Soviet Union was the indication that communism had given way to capitalism. To date, capitalism is present in the United States as well as many European nations. However, the extent and nature of capitalism in the United States is quite different from capitalism in Western Europe. American capitalism is associated with democratic governance, free trade, private ownership, and individualism. The United States has a democratic political system where the country’s president and the government are elected on a regular basis. The elections are conducted freely and democratically. This democratic culture evolved from the enlightenment period where the traditional role of political leaders and the state were challenged. Thomas Jefferson, the founding father of America had a profound influence on separating religion from state. According to Jefferson, the church had used religion to dominate and influence people and the government for selfish purposes (Connolly 3). This is a typical example of how intellectualism influenced the development of American economic and political culture. By urging Americans to exercise greater autonomy in understanding religion, Jefferson was influencing the thinking and the Americans in terms of taking a greater role in political and economic arenas. The individualism concept that pervades the United States can be linked to such intellectualism. In the same regard, the role of the state was well-defined. In Western Europe, the church had a major influence on the state. The church and the state worked closely together. For example, in Rome, the leaders of the church also occupied political positions and exercised political powers. However, this was later changed the state became a separate entity from the church. Most governments and empires in Western Europe collapsed and paved the way to new political and government systems. These changes were influenced by the enlightenment, which occurred in the eighteenth century. It is through the insights and discourses of key philosophers and intellectuals that the traditional political and economic cultures were challenged leading to major revolutions such as the French Revolution in Western Europe and American Revolution in the United States (Riemer and Douglas 127). The Enlightenment that swept across Western Europe was instigated by the thoughts and discourses of various prominent intellectuals and philosophers such as Karl Marx, John Locke, Thomas Sowell, and Thomas Piketty among others. Western Europe is associated with welfare states. The welfare state concept is where the state plays a major role in the promotion and protection of socioeconomic well-being of the citizens. The welfare programs are intended to support various services including education and healthcare as well as supporting needy people. The welfare state became popular in Western Europe, especially after the World Wars. The World Wars had major socioeconomic implications for these countries because of the high cost of the war and the injuries and disruptions to the economy. Therefore, these countries adopted welfare programs to support the citizens to overcome these challenges. Some of the countries that adopted social welfare programs and still do to date include Germany and the United Kingdom. Although modern welfare programs have changed significantly, the Western European countries still adopt the concept of the welfare state. The Role and Influence of the Enlightened Philosophers Most of the enlightened philosophers of the 18th century sought to emancipate humanity from the oppressive and barbaric regimes that proliferated across Western Europe and America. These philosophers challenged the follies and practices of these regimes and advocated for changes that would end these follies and practices. Karl Marx was a revolutionary who challenged the bourgeois politics and individualism. Marx developed various theories known as the Marxist theories, which challenged the bourgeois society based on the fact that it was suppressed. It only benefitted a few individuals in society at the expense of many others. Marx challenged capitalism and liberalism noting that they represented the bourgeoisie dictatorship. The Marxist theories supported the socialism theory, which would shift political and economic power from the wealthy and middle class society to the working class (Seidman 85-86). Marx’s ideologies and theories were influential in shaping the history of politics and economy in Western Europe. Specifically, most countries in Western Europe adopted socialism or communism thanks to the enlightenment of philosophers such as Karl Marx. Although the French Revolution predated Marxist theories, we can draw a line between the two. Looking back, it can be said that Karl Marx drew important lessons from the French Revolution. Apparently, Marx used the French Revolution to justify the course of socialism where the power of the people was above that of the state or the rulers. In the French Revolution, the people decided to revolt against their government, which was a pure monarchy because of the suffering that it had caused on the economy and the people. The French Revolution was meant to bring political, economic, and social reforms by replacing the old government with a new form of government that was less oppressive. The relationship between the state and the church was also a major issue in the French Revolution. According to some historical accounts, the French Revolution was triggered by enlightened philosophers who opposed the involvement of the church in government (Osen 3). This highlights the changes in political culture in Western Europe, where the role of the church in government was reduced or eliminated. The Church, according to the enlightened philosophers, was supposed to provide moral direction and not get involved in state or government affairs. Western Europe adopted the idea of the welfare state after the influence of some key enlightenment philosophers. Among these enlightenment philosophers were Thomas Hobbes and John Locke. These two are associated with the social contract theory. They both addressed the role of the state and the relationship between the state and the citizens. According to Locke, the state existed to protect the natural rights of men including right to life and property. Locke went further to note that the government is a creation of the people and has limited authority. If the government did not ensure protection of the rights of the citizens, the citizens had every right to dissolve it through various means including revolutions. In Locke’s social contract theory, only people can have rights. Therefore, the people can exercise their rights by forming governments that will serve their interests (Morris 121). Locke’s ideas influenced the adoption of elected governments in Western Europe and America. However, in Western Europe, the government role extended to providing welfare support to the poor. Just like Karl Marx supported socialism to protect the interests of the poor who had been oppressed by the rich, Locke supported the idea of the welfare state in the sense that it was part of the social contract between the government and the people. The ideas of these enlightened philosophers led to the spread of communism across Western Europe. The work of Karl Marx is one of the main influences that led to the adoption of communism in Western Europe. Marx challenged capitalism for being in favor of only a section of the society and leading to widening class gaps. Therefore, he proposed the adoption of communism as the solution to these problems of capitalism. In 1848, Karl Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto. This text was a major influence in the development of communism in Western Europe. Communism is a socioeconomic ideology that creates a classless society with no state. Common ownership of production means is a central tenet in communism. It is important to note that socialism and communism have a strong relationship in this regard. The story of the United States is quite different from that of Western Europe. The United States took a different path in terms of political and economic culture. Rather than take the socialist route, the United States took the capitalist route. Today, the United States is viewed as the symbol of capitalism. The historical examination of American capitalism reveals the role of intellectualism and enlightenment. One of the main intellectual figures that have influenced American capitalism is Thomas Sowell. As an economist, Sowell has published various books on economy and politics, given lectures, and advised US presidents. Sowell has been an advocate of private ownership and freedom from state control. He has written about the space of the state within the economy. According to him, the state should allow private ownership of means of production but should not exercise maximum control over how the people control their businesses. With regard to Obama’s economic policies, Sowell warns that the United States is slowly becoming a fascist society where the government is exercising greater control over the economy (Sowell 1). Moreover, in the recent uprising against corporate greed in America, which resulted in the Occupy Wall Street public protests, Sowell disapproved of the protestsnoting that it was normal and okay to have the top one percent controlling the greatest part of the economy. This is a typical example of the influential role that Sowell has played in supporting American capitalism, where the gap between the rich and the poor is widening. American capitalism, which entails free market, greater freedom, private ownership, and limited government intervention, can be linked to Adam Smith’s capitalism. Adam Smith was one of the most influential intellectuals in the 18th century. Adam Smith is regarded as the father of capitalism, which emphasized on the importance of informed self-interest, limited government intervention, competition, and private ownership (Shaffer 4). The American capitalism resembles Adam Smith’s capitalism in various ways, which shows the possibility that Adam Smith’s capitalism ideologies influenced American capitalism. America is a free society where individual and firms participate in an open and competitive environment. This has created differences in socioeconomic status and distribution of wealth. Only a few individuals and organizations control the majority of America’s wealth. As a result, the United States has a wide gap between the rich and the poor. However, American capitalism is taking a different path in that the large multinationals are exerting influence over political and economic policies. Recent economic crisis have revealed the growing influence of large corporations in America’s politics and economics such as the passing of certain laws that benefit the wealthy at the expense of the poor. Thomas Jefferson was another influential person in American enlightenment. Jefferson wrote various articles and books expressing his thoughts on politics and economics, which have been influential in the development of America’s political and economic culture. With regard to private ownership, Jefferson wrote in favor of agrarianism, which comprised of several underlying principles and values. One of the main principles of Jefferson’s agrarianism was the view of private property as part of a natural right (Martin and Jacqueline 94). This ideology meant that individuals, including the peasants, had the right to own land, which was a factor of production. This ideology is in line with Adam Smith’s capitalism that favored private ownership. Jefferson also played a major role in the constitution of the United States. He was actively and passively involved in developing the constitution, which guarantees several fundamental rights including the right to own private property. Conclusion The histories of the United States and Western Europe have shaped the political and economic cultures in the two regions. The greatest period was the enlightenment, where several enlightened philosophers came up with political, economic, and social ideologues that influenced the political and economic developments in the two regions. While Western Europe adopted socialist ideologies, which supported social welfare and government intervention, the United States adopted capitalism, which supported free market, limited government intervention, private ownership, and individualism. The outcome has been the growing inequality in the United States, which is more evident that in the Western European societies. 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Berkeley: University of California Press, 1983. Web. 3 February 2015. Shaffer, Harry G. American Capitalism and the Changing Role of Government. WestPort, CT: ABC-CLIO, 1999. Web. 3 February 2015. Sowell, Thomas. “Socialist or Fascist.” Townhall, 2012. Web. 3 February 2015. Statfor Global Intelligence. “The Geopolitics of the United States, Part 1: The Inevitable Empire.” 2014. Web. 3 February 2015. Read More