America in the Shadow of Empires

America in the Shadow of Empires

Previous Work by David Coates The American Collection Pursuing the Progressive Case? Observing Obama in Real Time (2013) The Oxford Companion to American Politics (2 volumes) (2012) */** Making the Progressive Case: Towards a Stronger U.S. Economy (2011) Answering Back: Liberal Responses to Conservative Arguments (2010) Getting Immigration Right: What Every American Needs to Know (2009) */** A Liberal Tool Kit: Progressive Responses to Conservative Arguments (2007) The Political Economy Collection Varieties of Capitalism, Varieties of Approaches (2005) ** Models of Capitalism: Debating Strengths and Weaknesses (2002) ** Models of Capitalism: Growth and Stagnation in the Contemporary Era (2000) Economic and Industrial Performance in Europe (1995) ** Industrial Policy in Britain (1996) ** Social Stratification and Trade Unionism (1973) * The Labour Party Collection Prolonged Labour: The Slow Birth of New Labour Britain (2005) Blair s War (2004)* Paving the Third Way: The Critique of Parliamentary Socialism (2003) ** New Labour into Power (2000)*/** The Crisis of Labour (1989) Labour in Power? A Study of the Labour Government 1974 79 (1980) The Labour Party and the Struggle for Socialism (1975) The UK Collection UK Economic Decline: Key Texts (1995)*/** Running the Country (1991/5) The Question of U.K. Decline: Economy, State and Society (1994) The Economic Revival of Modern Britain: The Debate between Left and Right (1987) */** The Economic Decline of Modern Britain: The Debate between Left and Right (1985) */** The Context of British Politics (1984) Teachers Unions and Interest Group Politics (1972) The Socialist Collection Working Classes, Global Realities (2000) */** Features of a Viable Socialism (1990) * The World Order: Socialist Perspectives (1987) */** A Socialist Anatomy of Britain (1985) */** Socialist Strategies (1983) */** Socialist Arguments (1983) */** * = jointly authored/edited **= edited collection Full publication list at www.davidcoates.net

America in the Shadow of Empires David Coates

america in the shadow of empires Copyright David Coates, 2014. Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-48236-5 All rights reserved. First published in 2014 by PALGRAVE MACMILLAN in the United States a division of St. Martin s Press LLC, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010. Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world, this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited, registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies and has companies and representatives throughout the world. Palgrave and Macmillan are registered trademarks in the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries. ISBN 978-1-349-50309-4 DOI 10.1057/9781137482600 ISBN 978-1-137-48260-0 (ebook) Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data Coates, David, 1946 America in the shadow of empires / David Coates. pages cm Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. United States Foreign relations 21st century. 2. United States Social conditions 21st century. 3. National characteristics, American History 21st century. 4. Imperialism Case studies. I. Title. JZ1480.C63 2014 327.73 dc23 2014025146 A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library. Design by Scribe Inc. First edition: December 2014 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents Introduction 1 I The Problem 1 The Nature of Our Contemporary Condition 7 2 The Question of Empire 33 II The Parallels 3 The Glory That Was Rome 53 4 Spain: The Rise and Fall of a Dynastic Empire 81 5 The Rise and Fall of the British Empire 105 6 Russian Empires Old and New 137 7 The Lessons of Empire 159 III The Reckoning 8 A New Rome on the Potomac? 171 9 Toward a Better America 201 Notes 219 Subject Index 259 Name Index 265