From Imperialist Power to Super Power

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the expansion of the American empire from its early days as a nation of farmers through being an imperial power with expanding territories to being the world's only superpower since the collapse of the Former Soviet Union. It evaluates whether it is a good thing for a state to be so powerful and looks at how long America can actually stay in this position in light of today's political world.

Outline
Introduction
Manifest Destiny
Land Acquisition through Conquest and Purchases
Implications of American Imperialism
America's History as an Imperialist Power
America as an Agricultural Country
The Need for Markets
Foreign Markets and American Imperialism
American Hegemony vs. other Imperial Powers
Comparison with the Soviet Union
Comparison with Britain
Negative Implications
America as the World's Only Superpower
America after the Collapse of the USSR
America as a Benign Hegemony
Collapse of Empire
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"America began as a small cluster of colonies clinging to the eastern shore of the great continent of North America. As the country expanded westward, and also northward and southward, a spirit of "manifest destiny" gripped the land as pioneers, patriots and politicians sought to bring under American domination ever greater amounts of territory. Through land purchases such as the Louisiana Purchase, and through conquest, as in the case of the lands acquired as a result of the Mexican War and the Spanish American War, the country grew until it stretched from sea to sea, and from the Rio Grande River in the south, far north to the cold stretches of the Canadian wilderness."

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