business and government-the arms industry in alliance with military and political bureaucracies and sometimes other industries such as oil and finance, a combination often referred to as the " military–industrial complex". policies are the products of the excessive influence of certain sectors of U.S. Ī " social-democratic" theory says that imperialistic U.S. We are always moving forward with high mission, a destiny imposed by the Deity to regenerate our victims, while incidentally capturing their markets to civilise savage and senile and paranoid peoples, while blundering accidentally into their oil wells. The enemy aggressor is always pursuing a course of larceny, murder, rapine and barbarism. There is also a conservative, anti-interventionist view as expressed by American journalist John T. imperialism into 5 broad categories: (1) "liberal" theories, (2) "social-democratic" theories, (3) "Leninist" theories, (4) theories of " super-imperialism", and (5) "Hardt-and-Negri-ite" theories. Journalist Ashley Smith divides theories of the U.S. Uncle Sam (to his new class in Civilization): Now, children, you've got to learn these lessons whether you want to or not! But just take a look at the class ahead of you, and remember that, in a little while, you will feel as glad to be here as they are!" And in the United States, empire does not even exist 'we' are merely protecting the causes of freedom, democracy and justice worldwide." Views of American imperialismĬaricature showing Uncle Sam lecturing four children labelled Philippines, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and Cuba, in front of children holding books labelled with various U.S. The American public's attitude towards intervention in Cuba and the Philippines was one of sheer sympathy, all due to the propaganda utilized to portray the Americans as the worldwide protector of human rights.Īs a Monthly Review editorial opines on the phenomenon, "in Britain, empire was justified as a benevolent 'white man's burden'. Such instances occur when American interests and advancements are justified solely on the basis of its economic standing or the protection of human rights. Some American citizens will participate in exceptionalism without even being aware of it. Philosopher Douglas Kellner traces the identification of American exceptionalism as a distinct phenomenon back to 19th century French observer Alexis de Tocqueville, who concluded by agreeing that the U.S., uniquely, was "proceeding along a path to which no limit can be perceived." Īmerican exceptionalism is popular among people within the U.S., but its validity and its consequences are disputed. American exceptionalismĪmerican exceptionalism is the theory that the United States occupies a special niche among the nations of the world in terms of its national credo, historical evolution, and political and religious institutions and origins. The maximum geographical extension of American direct political and military control happened in the aftermath of World War II, in the period after the surrender and occupations of Germany and Austria in May and later Japan and Korea in September 1945 and before the independence of the Philippines in July 1946. The resistance to actively occupying foreign territory has led to policies of exerting influence via other means, including governing other countries via surrogates or puppet regimes, where domestically unpopular governments survive only through U.S. Stuart Creighton Miller says that the public's sense of innocence about Realpolitik impairs popular recognition of U.S. The American government now held the power to both criticize and occupy these nations if they were deemed to be unstable. The Teller Amendment and the Platt Amendment were used in unison to grant the United States the right to intervene in those territories if that particular government was deemed unfit to rule itself. In the late 19th century, foreign territories such as Hawaii and Latin America were sought after by the United States. Thomas Jefferson, in the 1790s, awaited the fall of the Spanish Empire "until our population can be sufficiently advanced to gain it from them piece by piece." In turn, historian Sidney Lens notes that "the urge for expansion – at the expense of other peoples – goes back to the beginnings of the United States itself." Yale historian Paul Kennedy put it, "From the time the first settlers arrived in Virginia from England and started moving westward, this was an imperial nation, a conquering nation." The American flag flies from the Philippines and Hawaii in the Pacific to Cuba and Puerto Rico in the Caribbean. This cartoon reflects the America's imperial ambitions following a quick victory in the Spanish–American War of 1898.
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