The New Empire

Walter La Faber author of this book is a reputed academic.Here he traces the growth and expansion of American empire.While doing so he questions traditional interpretation of American expansionism.Liberals view America inherited an overseas empire inadvertently,in a fit of absent-mindedness.This ,according to the author, is debatable.It must be remembered that period between 1880-1900 America was continually subjected to economic turbulence.The country was assailed by frequent bouts of depression.What caused this?Industrial revolution unleashed powerful economic forces.American market was inundated with goods which its population found it difficult to absorb.This led to slowdown in production and subsequent economic stagnation.Factories went bankrupt causing massive unemployment which in turn led to widespread social discontent.Now continued prosperity of the country was at stake.This prompted American businesmen to seek overseas markets for their surplus goods.The situation was further aggravated by the fact 'Frontier' had already closed down as relentless expansion across continental United States took Anglo-Saxons to the Pacific sea board.Further writings of Fredrick Jackson Turner ,Brooke Adams,Alfred Thayer Mahan provided necessary rationale for leaders like Theodore Roosevelt, Grover Clevland,William McKinley to embark upon this course of action.Thus author has argued that economic self interest made American empire inevitable.However I wish to add the above development could have been reversed.This brings me to highlight an important feature of Capitalism.Capitalist economy to survive requires mass consumption for which a common man needs sufficent purchasing power.This can effected only by empowering labour class.Elites who control means of production refuse to do this as this would bite into their profits.Hence goods produced could not be absorbed locally and so the need to find foreign markets.We know from History quest for foreign markets is mostly done through violent means.This has been the rootcause for American aggression world wide.Washington forcefully broke open Japan's door and brought it to the outside world.War with Spain followed which led to the seizure of Cuba,Puerto Rico,Philippines.This ensured American control over Latin and Central Americas and strategic domination of Caribbean.Simultaenously expansion across the Pacific saw America establishing foothold in China much to the annoyance of other powers particularly Imperial Japan.US-Japanese rivalry to control Far Eastern markets consummated in Pearl Harbor.V.I Lenin the founder of now defunct Soviet state highlighted this obnoxious aspect of capitalism in his seminal work'Imperialism-Highest Stage of Capitalism'.It seems author while writing this book has either ignored or forgotten to consult Lenin's work.Though La Faber has spoken against established opinion he can in no way be called a revisionist.Throughout the book author sounds mild,apologetic while interpreting American policies. I think a Marxist historian would have treated the subject differently.But then ,I feel, Marxian thought is a taboo in America.

Basic, straightforward argument that the decision for aggressive expansion in the 1890's was rooted in desires for new markets, especially coming out of the Depression of 1893. Good starting book for understanding U.S. foreign policy in the 1890's leading up to the war with Spain and the war in the Philippines.

On my journey to determine why America is so hated world wide this was a helpful addition. Walter LaFabers The Inevitable Revoltion is better with the subject of why they hate us but The New Empire gives a good starting foundation for the study of the subject