Analysis Of American Imperialism: A Platform For The Conflict Paradigm

Brice Berg
7 October, 2012
American Imperialism: A Platform for the Conflict Paradigm Imperialism in today’s society, where it is seen in almost every society in one way or another, is used as leverage to gain social status. The countries that implement imperialism in their diplomatic relations use the method for the same common goal: to gain wealth, power, and status. Sociologically, what is it that pins country against country? It is all propelled by the Conflict Paradigm, which “argues that the structured system of all of society is based on conflict over the goods of society (wealth, power, and status)” (Dunn, 9). In America, we still today see the Conflict Paradigm in action because American imperialism is still one of our diplomatic
Thus, the Spanish-American War acted as a transitional period for America’s diplomatic policy, as America went from a nation that was willing to protect forming Republics to a nation that was eager to control newly-found Republics for the sake of becoming more powerful. Thus America went to war, “Wanting democracy and social peace, they argued that economic depression threatened these objectives, and concluded that overseas economic expansion provided a primary means of ending that danger” (Williams, 38). Thus, the Spanish-American War commenced, and before long it would mark a shift in American diplomacy from a country that originally supported, and was even founded upon, “American ideals” such as rugged individualism and self-determination, to one that was willing to ignore said traditional principles in an effort to expand, even though hostile means, namely economically, politically, and
For example, America continues its search for open markets, and more recently looks to the Middle East, specifically Iraq and Afghanistan, to fuel America’s economy in an attempt to gain more wealth, power, and status. America’s economic interest in said countries is stimulated by the desire to control the world’s global oil prices.6 When the United States enters the less developed markets of the world, it is bound to attempt to impose democracy upon the “brethren in the backward areas of the world.”7 In other terms “The Mission of America” is the “securing, civilizing, humanizing, ‘sanitizing,’ Christianizing, and maintaining overseas possession,” so that the less developed areas of the world may too, “carry the benefits and blessings of an advanced civilization to their numerous less fortunate brethren in the backward areas of the world” (281).8 All of this is an attempt for America, as a country, to flex its muscle in hopes of having security as the world’s fittest nation. As Williams suggests, this imposition of the American Way is the cause of the tensions between America and those countries in which it restrains; it is the conflict in the Conflict