Imperialism

I found this video very interesting. Remembering to take this information/ opinion with a grain of salt, I must say that Howard Zinn provided a few points that I would have to agree with. A few quotes in particular really stuck out to me:


"What at first had seemed like a purely passive foreign policy in the decade leading up to the first world war, now appeared as a succession of violent interventions"
This quote stuck out to me, as in class we've been discussing these specific events that began America's imperialistic reign (Cuba, the Phillippeans, Panama, Hawaii, Peurto Rico, etc.) and this seems to aum up my opinion pretty well. These countries or areas like Cuba and the Phillippeans that we were trying to "protect" were simply turning into a messy wreck. I realize that this was a very good move economically for the United States', but we did not have to treat the native peoples with such brutality and disrespect.

American Policy in Asia: "It was not the invasion of South Korea in the North that prompted U.S. intervention, but the desire of the United States to have a firm foothold on the continent of Asia"

This points out how, even if we do not always see the clear reason for becoming involved in a war or invading a certain area, being an extremely powerful world power, we always have an ulterior motive. In this specific case, we just wanted to be present in Asia for economical benefits.

"The ruthless attacks of September 11th derived from the fierce hatred of U.S. expansion in the Middle East and elsewhere"
Although this is one person's view of the causes of a major terrorist attack, this quote provides glaring evidence for the prominent existence of modern U.S. Imperialism.

"Spreading liberty around the world is the calling of our time"
-George W. Bush (2nd Inaguaral Address)
Just found this an interesting point to ponder, that our previous president would go into office with this sating clearly promoting imperialism.





Interesting contrast to the Howard Zinn take on Imperialism. I also really like how this ties back to Manifest Destiny.