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Pros And Cons Of Americanization

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America encroaches on the rest of the world with its aggressive expansion. Advocates of Americanization argue that this spread is to promote prosperity and a worldwide connection, and encourage more. They do not recognize the great abuse and damage it truly causes. Americanization is idealized as a beneficial way to modernize foreign countries, but in reality it is harmful and leads affected communities to instability. America’s rationale for expansion has always been for aid. The mass cultural destruction of countries has been justified with the insistence that Americans are “modernizing” these civilizations. Their actions in foreign countries is argued as fundamentally to refine. This is far from the truth. Americans are not looking out for the best interest of the people who are graciously opening up their countries. Stephen Kinzer outlines an example of these selfish, and oftentimes inhumane, practices in Cruel realities: The American conquest of Guam. In 1898, an American warship arrived at the coast of Guam, a small island in the Pacific Ocean. Its goal: seize the island and declare it American land. With only 10,000 inhabitants and few resources, America felt no need to put on a facade of friendliness for Guam. It was purely a strategic base for …show more content…

Keenan writes in Called to conscience: Americans must recognize their own capacity for evil that Americans are too quick to forgive America’s misdeeds, or simply do not acknowledge them at all. These flippant excusals are due to Americans presuming they have a “manifest destiny that exempts [them] from the standards that others must follow,” (Keenan, “Called to conscience: Americans must recognize their own capacity for evil”). Keenan strongly urges Americans to recognize the inhumanities caused by America. Once this is achieved, the nation will have a better conscience and be greater. In turn, the countries that have been impacted by Americanization, and the countries that inevitably will be, can

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969 Words | 4 Pages

In the aforementioned warfare, the US not only sent its army to legitimize its sovereignty over Afghanistan and Iraq, but it also conspired to take democratization as an excuse to uncover its real intention of gaining profit. To recapitulate, not only does imperialism exist in Belgian Congo in the eighteenth and nineteenth century, but also in Middle-East in the twenty-first

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It seems to be easier for an American citizen to name quotes from movies or lyrics from popular songs than to explain the United States of America’s effect on the world. The Oblivious Empire written by Mart Hertsgarrd discusses how America’s society seems to not comprehend how our government treats other countries and seems too naïve on the reasons why other countries or groups of people do not like us. Hertsgarrd discusses how the United States truly treats countries around the world and the consequences our actions have caused. An analysis of Hertsgarrd essay shows strong points on how our society is oblivious to the world outside our country and do not truly know how our government affects the world. Throughout Hertsgarrd essay he describes how the United States government tends to believe they have the right to be the judge on how other countries’ treatment of their citizens and

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773 Words | 4 Pages

The United States expanding across the world was caused by many things. During the time from 1865-1910, one of U.S.’s goals was to get rid of European presence in the Americas, and cast an American presence all over the world. The reason for America to grasp control like they want to, is so they can benefit themselves in numerous ways. The objective of this goal was drawn up by the U.S. government, not exactly the people. The main reason for American expansion during the time of 1865-1910 was to gain more global power, strengthen economically, and the people felt a religous movement to expand.

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While claiming to bring civilization to the untamed wilds , conflict in the Americas didn’t end as the Europeans created their empires. With new and growing territories, came new and growing tensions between neighboring powers, and these tensions often ignited into international conflicts. In these conflicts the

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599 Words | 3 Pages

However, when looking through the viewpoint of the United States, imperialism was still beneficial. Imperialism was relentless, the strive to extend the country’s power

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1262 Words | 6 Pages

Losing one’s cultural knowledge, and therefore the reality of their culture, allows others to have control over their collective and individual consciousness as well as their destiny. In this case, it is clear that the United States government has had the dominant relationship over the Native

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In the late 1800s, Europe was scrambling to conquer vast amounts of land. Imperialism had swept the continent by storm, with many countries vying for pieces of Africa and Asia to control. From 1880 to 1900, Britain, France, Germany, and Italy fought for African possessions and by 1900, nearly the whole continent had been split and placed under European rule. There was plenty of motivation for Europeans to conquer the world, and while some supported it, others didn’t. Most people in Europe at this time held ethnocentric views toward the “uncivilized” cultures in the world.

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However, can economic strength be achieved and maintained without the ability to project sufficient power and deter possible threats against the country’s economic capacity? Which is more important, the power that keeps economic freedom or the economy that fund the source of power? Furthermore, Walter Hixon on the essay Culture, National Identity, and the “Myth of America, argues that “the myth of America and the pathologically violent foreign policy it inspires cannot remain unchallenged.” (Merrill and Paterson, 2010, 14). Have American interventions been entirely unnecessary?

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450 Words | 2 Pages

mperialism refers to the extension of a country's power and influence beyond its borders, often through the use of military force or economic dominance. The United States engaged in imperialism during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, acquiring territories and influencing global affairs. However, the extent to which U.S. imperialism was justified remains a topic of debate. While some argue that it was necessary for national security and economic growth, others point to the negative consequences for colonized people and the erosion of democratic values. One argument in favor of U.S. imperialism is that it was necessary for national security.

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1007 Words | 5 Pages

When America, as we know it today, was created, it had just freed itself from an unwanted, suffocating European power. The people wanted nothing to do with foreign affairs and their presidents’ policies reflected that. As America moved forward and established themselves as a world power, they began to want more. At the turn of the twentieth century, this want for more hit its peak and because of other circumstances, more was just within reach. America had always prided themselves in staying out of foreign problems and focusing inward, but now a new age was dawning.

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As America became a great power, it has continued its legacy of territorial expansionism through neo-imperialist policies. Aside from acquiring land and expanding American territory, the United States has established policies that have allowed direct and often indirect military and political control, economic exploitation, and the introduction of American ideals. The U.S. has justified this form of colonialism by claiming that it is for mutual economic pursuits, the spreading of democracy, and the establishment of stable governments in developing countries. Despite America’s noble causes, American imperialism has caused many repercussions. The United States should cease to be an imperialist power as it is economically damaging to countries under its rule, costly to America, violates the fundamental American principle of self-governance, and exacerbates social and political situations in countries America has tampered with.

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3912 Words | 16 Pages

It was an ideal, that Americans and the American institutions were morally superior to their counterparts. Therefore, they were morally obligated to expand their presence, to end the alleged oppression of the European kingdoms. Furthermore, they were equally obligated to inspire and elevate the Mexican and the native populations “less significant” cultures. With roots in the Puritan mindset of a New World in the eye of God, the Americans felt a responsibility to share with the world their great culture – a belief that arguably still stands as a defining factor in US foreign policy, at least under the previous administration.

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392 Words | 2 Pages

Essay One: Imperialism Flies circle great black lumps as the moist air ravages the corpses. Dried blood soaked into the ground after faceless soldiers brutally destroyed its owners’ lives. These were the stories in the newspapers, the movies, and the films. Horrified by these crimes against humanity, the American public was spurred into action against the Spanish oppressors. the United States invaded Cuba in 1898 to pursue humanitarian efforts.

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463 Words | 2 Pages

Colonialism and Imperialism affected our world both positively and negatively. On one hand, Imperialism has often been linked with racial segregation, manipulation, and hardship. On the other, it has been said that many colonial powers contributed much in terms of schools, roads, railways, and much more. Whether this time period was constructive or harmful, it has played a large part in shaping our lives today. European Imperialism started long before the 1800’s.

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1223 Words | 5 Pages

Following the end of the Industrialist Era and the emergence of countless technological advancements, the United States entered the world stage. The United States was attempting to create an empire by expanding to land outside of its own borders in order to benefit the country’s economic interests. Many citizens, whose views were greatly influenced by their understandings of national identity, saw this overseas expansion in conflicting ways. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, these groups differed in their opinions on the idea of expansion due to either their wanting to remain a democratic country built on the ideals of freedom and liberty to preserve their sense of national identity, or their wanting to expand for economic reasons and nationalism. Imperialism, which is the extension of a country’s power and influence through expansion, began as early as the 17th century, when Britain colonized the New World in order to expand economically and gain natural resources for manufacturing.

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