Is or Has America been an Imperialist Power?

1. 87

   My Esotericposted 11 years ago

   Is or Has America been an Imperialist Power?
   
   Without defining what "imperialism" is, I throw this question out here 1) to see what responses I get and 2) to remind me to write a hub about it.  I just finished listening to a rather interesting lecture on the subject and it got me curious.

   replyreport
2. 75

   Reality Bytesposted 11 years ago

   Teddy Roosevelt was a huge advocate for imperialism.

   replyreport
3. 60

   mio cidposted 11 years ago

   Yes America has been imperialistic at times. This is objectively so.It has also at times been altruistic and a force for good.Sometimes both at once.http://mio-cid.hubpages.com/hub/Cuba-Ozzie-Guillen-Marco-Rubio-and-the-cuban-exile-community

   replyreport
4. 67

   ptosisposted 11 years ago

   Of course it is. USA is the neo-Roman empire. Without war would collapse!

   replyreport
   1. 87

      My Esotericposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That idea, Ptosis, was mentioned in the lecture.  The theory is that all soveriegn nations are imperialistic by that definition. For in order to survive, they must have the right to make war in order to expand or be vanquished.

      replyreport
5. 78

   junksellerposted 11 years ago

   
   
   The American military footprint is staggering. You'd have to work pretty hard to find a country in the world without US military personnel in it. They aren't there for no reason at all and when you start to examine the machinations they perform behind the scenes to manipulate the policies and leadership of other countries, I don't see how any definition other than imperialistic is appropriate. These efforts are aimed almost solely at expanding or developing American interests which can include defending the realm (from real and imagined threats) and economic advantage. The idea of those efforts being altruistic I think are completely ridiculous. I would actually say that modern day America is the best example of Imperialism the world has ever seen. The attached map, I think, is pretty interesting (it shows the relative influence of US and Russia during the Cold War). It's pretty amazing how active the US military has been in gray and light orange countries in the past couple decades isn't it? Even a country like Mongolia which people don't very often think of just got done holding their joint annual military exercise (Khaan Quest) with the US Pacific Command.

   replyreport
   1. 87

      My Esotericposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Great map, Junkseller.  Yes, that is one definition of imperialism mentioned in the lecture, but not all of them by far.  The professor might ask you to compare and contrast that to English imperialism of the 1800s.

      replyreport
6. 0

   Old Empresarioposted 11 years ago

   The US in 1789 was a 13-state republic on the Atlantic coast whose western boundary was the Mississippi River. Spain and France controlled the lands to the west and south, and Britain controlled the lands to our north. Today, the US has 50 States that cover a generous portion of the continent, which includes access to the Gulf Coast and the Pacific Ocean. How is it possible to grow that much without being imperialistic? Of course, US historians who are put on tv use the polite word "expansionist" over the word "imperialistic".
   
   Today, we have troops in over a hundred nations around the world where we have an economic interest. That seems imperialistic.

   replyreport
7. 79

   Credence2posted 11 years ago

   In spite of constant denial by many, yes we have been and remain an imperial power, first for territory, now for resources.

   replyreport
8. 93

   jo millerposted 11 years ago

   Believe it or not, this was the subject of the first research paper I did in college:"Is America Imperialistic?"   My conclusion at that time was that it had been imperialistic but was not at that time (the 60's).  I don't remember what I based my conclusions on, but I was eighteen at the time.  What did I know.  Looking back at the 60's my conclusion now seems a little ludicrous to me.

   replyreport