Patterns of Empire: The British and American Empires, 1688 to the Present

304 Pages·2011·2.65 MB·English

by  Julian Go

PatternsofEmpire
TheBritishandAmericanEmpires,1688tothePresent
Patterns of Empire comprehensively examines the two most powerful
empiresinmodernhistory:theUnitedStatesandBritain.Challengingthe
popular theory that the American empire is unique, Patterns of Empire
shows how the policies, practices, forms, and historical dynamics of the
American empire repeat those of the British, leading up to the present
climateofeconomicdecline,treacherousinterventionintheMiddleEast,
and overextended imperial confidence. A critical exercise in revisionist
historyandcomparativesocialscience,thisbookalsooffersachallenging
theory of empire that recognizes the agency of non-Western peoples, the
impactofglobalfields,andthelimitsofimperialpower.
JulianGoisanAssociateProfessorofSociologyatBostonUniversity.He
is also a Faculty Affiliate in Asian Studies and New England and Amer-
ican Studies at Boston University, editor of the journal Political Power
and Social Theory, and former Academy Scholar at Harvard Univer-
sity’sAcademyforInternationalandAreaStudies.Hisfirstbook,Amer-
ican Empire and the Politics of Meaning: Elite Political Cultures in the
PhilippinesandPuertoRicoduringU.S.Colonialism,wontheMaryDou-
glasPrizeforBestBookfromtheAmericanSociologicalAssociationand
was a finalist for a Philippines National Book Award. His other books
include The American Colonial State in the Philippines: Global Perspec-
tives,whichhecoedited.

Patterns of Empire
The British and American Empires,
1688 to the Present
JULIAN GO
BostonUniversity
cambridgeuniversitypress
Cambridge,NewYork,Melbourne,Madrid,CapeTown,
Singapore,Sa˜oPaulo,Delhi,Tokyo,MexicoCity
CambridgeUniversityPress
32AvenueoftheAmericas,NewYork,ny10013-2473,usa
www.cambridge.org
Informationonthistitle:www.cambridge.org/9781107600782
(cid:2)C JulianGo2011
Thispublicationisincopyright.Subjecttostatutoryexception
andtotheprovisionsofrelevantcollectivelicensingagreements,
noreproductionofanypartmaytakeplacewithoutthewritten
permissionofCambridgeUniversityPress.
Firstpublished2011
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
AcatalogrecordforthispublicationisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
LibraryofCongressCataloginginPublicationData
Go,Julian,1970–
Patternsofempire:theBritishandAmericanempires,1688tothepresent/JulianGo.
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferencesandindex.
isbn978-1-107-01183-0(hardback)–isbn978-1-107-60078-2(paperback)
1.UnitedStates–Foreignrelations. 2.GreatBritain–Foreignrelations. 3.Imperialism–
History. 4.UnitedStates–Territorialexpansion. 5.GreatBritain–Territorialexpansion.
I.Title.
e183.7.g6 2011
327.73–dc23 2011017075
isbn978-1-107-01183-0Hardback
isbn978-1-107-60078-2Paperback
CambridgeUniversityPresshasnoresponsibilityforthepersistenceoraccuracyofurlsfor
externalorthird-partyInternetWebsitesreferredtointhispublicationanddoesnotguarantee
thatanycontentonsuchWebsitesis,orwillremain,accurateorappropriate.
For my parents, Heide and Julian, Jr.

Contents
page
PrefaceandAcknowledgments ix
ListofTables xiii
ListofFigures xv
Introduction 1
1 ImperialPathstoPower 28
2 ColonialRules 67
3 HegemoniesandEmpires 103
4 ImperialForms,GlobalFields 133
5 WearyTitans:DecliningPowers,NewImperialisms 166
6 TheDynamicsofImperialism 206
7 Conclusion 235
Appendix:NotesonData 247
ArchivesandAbbreviations 249
References 251
Index 283
vii