Designs on Empire: America's Rise to Power in the Age of European Imperialism

305 Pages·2021·10.56 MB·English

by  Andrew Priest

DESIGNS ON EMPIRE
America’s Rise to Power in the Age of European Imperialism

ANDREW PRIEST
DESIGNS ON EMPIRE

Designs on Empire
AMERICA’S RISE TO POWER IN THE AGE
OF EUROPEAN IMPERIALISM
Andrew Priest
Columbia University Press
New York
Columbia University Press
Publishers Since 1893
New York Chichester, West Sussex
cup . columbia . edu
Copyright © 2021 Columbia University Press
All rights reserved
Library of Congress Cataloging-i n- Publication Data
Names: Priest, Andrew, author.
Title: Designs on empire : America’s rise to power in the age
of European imperialism / Andrew Priest.
Other titles: America’s rise to power in the age of European imperialism
Description: New York : Columbia University Press, [2021] | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020056827 (print) | LCCN 2020056828 (ebook) | ISBN 9780231197441
(hardback) | ISBN 9780231197458 (trade paperback) | ISBN 9780231552172 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: United States—F oreign relations. | Europe—F oreign relations—
Public opinion, American. | Europe—F oreign relations— United States. | United States—
Foreign relations— Europe. | Imperialism. | Elite (Social sciences)—U nited States—
Attitudes. | Public opinion—U nited States.
Classification: LCC E183.7 .P75 2021 (print) | LCC E183.7 (ebook) | DDC 327.73—d c23
LC record available at https:// lccn. loc . gov / 2020056827
LC ebook record available at https://l ccn . loc . gov / 2020056828
Columbia University Press books are printed on permanent and durable acid-f ree paper.
Printed in the United States of America
Cover image: © Getty Images/Ideabug
For Megan

Contents
Acknowledgments ix
Introduction: The Challenge of the American Empire 1
i The United States and European Empires 16
ii France and the Mexican Intervention 50
iii Spain and the Ten Years’ War in Cuba 85
iv Britain and the Occupation of Egypt 118
v Germany and the Berlin West Africa Conference 154
Conclusion 190
Notes 205
Bibliography 251
Index 271
[ vii ]

Acknowledgments
I
began thinking about writing this book more than a decade ago. At
the time, I was working in the Department of International Politics
at Aberystwyth University. My colleagues and friends there encour-
aged me and gave me the confidence to pursue the project, and I thank all
of them.
The generous research leave provision at Aberystwyth allowed me to
spend a year in Washington, DC, at the outset. There, David Painter hosted
me as a visiting fellow in the Department of History at Georgetown Uni-
versity and allowed me to present my initial ideas to his graduate stu-
dents. I am very grateful to David and hope he will be pleased that the
book is finally here. At Georgetown, the late Larry Kaplan also enthusias-
tically discussed the project with me in its earliest stages. Many other peo-
ple welcomed me to DC and exchanged ideas with me. Particular thanks
go to my friends Tammy Barnett and Steve Galpern.
Funding for the project has come from Aberystwyth University, the
University of Essex, and the Eccles Centre at the British Library in Lon-
don, which awarded me a visiting fellowship.
I have been fortunate to receive valuable feedback from many people
on different parts of this book. I especially want to thank Robert Julio
Decker, Joseph A. Fry, Barbara Reeves-E llington, Frank Schumacher, Jay
Sexton, Steve Tuffnell, and Kevin Waite. Since coming to the University
of Essex, I have been lucky to work with wonderful colleagues who have
[ ix ]