NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Pax Americana

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Pax Americana (Latin: "American Peace") is a term to describe the period of relative peace in the Western world since the end of World War II in 1945, coinciding with the dominant military and economic position of the United States. It places the United States in the military and diplomatic role of a modern-day Roman Empire (see Pax Romana), succeeding the British Empire. The United States is often criticized of not taking up the mantle following the disintegration of Pax Britannica before the First World War due to inward-looking isolationist policies. During this period, no armed conflict has emerged among major Western nations themselves, and no nuclear weapons have been used, although the United States and its allies have been involved in various regional wars (such as the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Falklands War (Britain), the Gulf War, the Afghanistan War and the Iraq War) and have maintained espionage and covert operations in various other areas. Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic - President George Walker Bush (R) - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... American Empire is a term used to describe the historical expansionism and the current political, economic, and cultural influence of the United States on a global scale. ... For a history, see Timeline of United States diplomatic history For the published diplomatic papers, see The Foreign Relations of the United States For Foreign relations under George W. Bush, see Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. ... From 1776 to 2007, there have been hundreds of instances of the deployment of United States military forces abroad and domestically. ... Non-interventionism, the diplomatic policy whereby a nation seeks to avoid alliances with other nations, has had a long history in the United States. ... The United States of America has intervened in the affairs of numerous governments and countries, which often has led to long-lived anti-American sentiments[1], not only in those nations, but also in those which feel threatened by US power. ... United States overseas expansion follows the expansion of U.S. frontiers on the North American continent (see Mexican-American War, War of 1812, and Territorial acquisitions of the United States). ... The United States has been involved in a number of overseas interventions. ... A government map, probably created in the mid-20th century, that depicts a simplified history of territorial acquisitions within the continental United States. ... Latin is an ancient Indo-European language originally spoken in Latium, the region immediately surrounding Rome. ... A peace dove, widely known as a symbol for peace, featuring an olive branch in the doves beak. ... The term Western world, the West or the Occident (Latin occidens -sunset, -west, as distinct from the Orient) [1] can have multiple meanings dependent on its context (e. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ... Roman Empire at its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan Pax Romana (27 BCE-180 CE), Latin for the Roman peace, was the long period of relative peace experienced by the Roman Empire. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... Pax Britannica (Latin for the British Peace, modelled after Pax Romana) refers to a period of British imperialism after the Battle of Waterloo, which led to a period of overseas British expansionism. ... Look up war in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, 1945, rose some 18 kilometers (11 mi) above the hypocenter A nuclear weapon derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions of fusion or fission. ... Combatants United Nations: Republic of Korea, Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States Medical staff: Denmark, Australia, Italy, Norway, Sweden Communist states: Democratic Peopleâ€™s Republic of Korea, Peoples Republic of China, Soviet Union Commanders... Combatants Republic of Vietnam United States Republic of Korea Thailand Australia New Zealand The Philippines National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam Democratic Republic of Vietnam Peopleâ€™s Republic of China Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea Strength US 1,000,000 South Korea 300,000 Australia 48,000... Combatants Argentina United Kingdom Commanders President Leopoldo Galtieri Vice-Admiral Juan Lombardo Brigadier-General Ernesto Crespo Brigade-General Mario MenÃ©ndez Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse Rear-Admiral John â€œSandyâ€ Woodward Major-General Jeremy Moore Casualties 649 killed 1,068 wounded 11,313 taken prisoner 75 fixed... Combatants United States Saudi Arabia & US-led Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 240 killed in action, 776 wounded in action, 30 taken prisoner Est. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... For other uses, see Iraq war (disambiguation). ... Spy and Secret agent redirect here. ...

The term Pax Americana is used by both supporters and critics of United States foreign policy, and as such, it carries different connotations depending on the context. For example, it appears repeatedly in a September 2000 document, Rebuilding America's Defenses, pdf by the neoconservative think tank, Project for the New American Century, but is also used by critics to characterize American dominance and hyperpower as imperialist in function and basis. For a history, see Timeline of United States diplomatic history For the published diplomatic papers, see The Foreign Relations of the United States For Foreign relations under George W. Bush, see Foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration. ... 2000 : January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December This is a timeline for events in September, 2000. ... Project for the New American Centurys Logo The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) is an American neoconservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., co-founded as a non-profit educational organization by William Kristol and Robert Kagan in early 1997. ... Neoconservatism is a political movement that emerged as a rejection of liberalism and the New Left counter-culture of the 1960s. ... This article is about the institution. ... Project for the New American Centurys Logo The Project for the New American Century (PNAC) is an American neoconservative think tank based in Washington, D.C., co-founded as a non-profit educational organization by William Kristol and Robert Kagan in early 1997. ... A hyperpower is a state that is militarily, economically, and technologically dominant on the world stage. ... For the computer game, see Imperialism (computer game). ...

Pax Americana may be similar to the period of peace in Rome, Pax Romana. As has earlier been said, Pax Americana is much like a modern-day Pax Romana. In both situations, the period of peace is 'relative peace'. During both Pax Romana and Pax Americana wars continued to occur, but it was still a prosperous time for the western respectively roman civilization. It is important to note that during these periods, and most other times of peace, the peace that is referred to does not mean that it was complete peace. By peace, it only means that they prospered in their military, agriculture, trade, and manufacturing. Motto Senatus Populusque Romanus (SPQR) The Roman Empire at its greatest extent. ... Roman Empire at its greatest extent with the conquests of Trajan Pax Romana (27 BCE-180 CE), Latin for the Roman peace, was the long period of relative peace experienced by the Roman Empire. ... It has been suggested that Commerce be merged into this article or section. ... Manufacturing (from Latin manu factura, making by hand) is the use of tools and labor to make things for use or sale. ...

Heritage of Pax Britannica

From the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 until World War I in 1914, the United Kingdom played the role of hegemon, where the balance of power was the main aim. It is also in this time that the British Empire became the largest empire of all time.^{[citation needed]} The global superiority of British military and commerce was guaranteed by dominance of a Europe lacking in strong nation-states, and the presence of the Royal Navy on all of the world's oceans and seas. In 1905, the Royal Navy was superior to any two navies combined in the world. It provided services such as suppression of piracy and slavery. Britain also went beyond the seas and developed and funded a universal mail system. During the managed transition of the British Empire to the Commonwealth of Nations, members of the British government, such as Harold Macmillan, liked to think of Britain's relationship with America as similar to that of a progenitor Greece to America's Rome.^[1] Combatants Austria[1] Portugal Prussia[1] Russia[2] Sicily Spain[3] Sweden United Kingdom[4] French Empire Holland Italy Naples [5] Duchy of Warsaw Bavaria[6] Saxony[7] Denmark-Norway [8] Commanders Archduke Charles Prince Schwarzenberg Karl Mack von Leiberich Gebhard von BlÃ¼cher Duke of Brunswick â€ Prince of Hohenlohe... April 5-12: Mount Tambora explodes, changing climate. ... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Hegemony (pronounced or ) (Greek: ) is the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that, for instance, the dominant party can dictate the terms of trade to its advantage; more broadly, cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group. ... Balance of power in international relations is a central concept in realist theory. ... The British Empire in 1897, marked in pink, the traditional colour for Imperial British dominions on maps. ... The armed forces of the United Kingdom, commonly known as the British Armed Forces or Her Majestys Armed Forces, and sometimes legally the Armed Forces of the Crown[1], encompasses a navy, army, and an air force. ... The term nation-state, while often used interchangeably with the terms unitary state and independent state, refers properly to the parallel occurence of a state and a nation. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the oldest of the British armed services (and is therefore the Senior Service). ... 1905 (MCMV) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar). ... The flag of 18th-century pirate Calico Jack Piracy is a robbery committed at sea, or sometimes on the shore, by an agent without a commission from a sovereign nation. ... Slave redirects here. ... The Universal Postal Union (UPU, French: Union postale universelle) is an international organization that coordinates postal policies between member nations, and hence the world-wide postal system. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... Her Majestys Government, or when the Sovereign is male, His Majestys Government, abbreviated HMG or HM Government, is the formal title used by the Government of the United Kingdom. ... Maurice Harold Macmillan, 1st Earl of Stockton, OM, PC (10 February 1894 â€“ 29 December 1986), was a British Conservative politician and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1957 to 1963. ... Anglo-American relations are used to describe the relations of the United Kingdom and the United States of America. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area - City 1,285 kmÂ² (580 sq mi) - Urban 5...

During the British hegemony, America developed close ties with Britain, evolving into what has become known as a "special relationship" between the two. The many commonalities shared with the two nations (such as language and history) drew them together as allies. Throughout the years, both have been active in North American, Middle Eastern, and Asian countries. Prime Minister Winston Churchill, (left) with President Franklin Roosevelt, at the 1945 Yalta Conference. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... World map showing the location of Asia. ...

However, there were several wars between the major powers during this time period: the Crimean War, the Franco-Austrian War, the Austro-Prussian War, the Franco-Prussian War, and the Russo-Japanese War, as well as numerous other wars. Combatants Allies: Second French Empire British Empire Ottoman Empire Kingdom of Sardinia Russian Empire Bulgarian volunteers Casualties 90,000 French 35,000 Turkish 17,500 British 2,194 Sardinian killed, wounded and died of disease ~134,000 killed, wounded and died of disease The Crimean War (1853â€“1856) was fought... Combatants Image:Second-empire. ... Combatants Austria, Saxony, Bavaria, Baden, WÃ¼rttemberg, Hanover and some minor German States (formerly as the German Confederation) Prussia, Italy, and some minor German States Strength 600,000 Austrians and German allies 500,000 Prussians and German allies 300,000 Italians Casualties 20,000 dead or wounded 37,000 dead... Combatants Second French Empire North German Confederation allied with south German states (later German Empire) Commanders Napoleon III Otto Von Bismarck, Helmuth von Moltke the Elder Strength 400,000 at the beginning of the war 1,200,000 Casualties 150,000 dead or wounded 284,000 captured 350,000 civilian... Combatants Russian Empire Montenegro[1] Empire of Japan Commanders Emperor Nicholas II Aleksey Kuropatkin Stepan Makarov â€ Emperor Meiji Oyama Iwao Heihachiro Togo The Russoâ€“Japanese War (Japanese: Nichi-Ro SensÅ, Russian: , Chinese: , February 10, 1904 â€“ September 5, 1905) was a conflict that grew out of the rival imperialist ambitions of...

Origins of the peace

Some argues that the Pax Americana derives partly from the direct influence of the United States, but as significantly or more so from international institutions backed by American financing and diplomacy.

Even the so-called unipolar moment following the collapse of the Soviet Union does not compare with the advantageous position of the United States in 1945 with respect to the rest of the industrialized world. It was then responsible for half of global industrial output, held 80 percent of the world's gold reserves, and was the world's sole nuclear power. Already the largest economy in the world, the United States with the help of the Soviet Union ended World War II with its domestic infrastructure virtually unscathed and its military forces at unprecedented strength. The catastrophic destruction of life, infrastructure, and capital during the Second World War had exhausted the imperialism of the Old World, however, victor and vanquished alike. This is a history of the Soviet Union from 1985 to 1991. ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar). ... General Name, Symbol, Number gold, Au, 79 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 6, d Appearance metallic yellow Standard atomic weight 196. ... This is a list of countries with nuclear weapons. ... The Military of the United States, also known as the United States Armed Forces, is structured into five branches consisting of the: United States Army United States Marine Corps United States Navy United States Air Force United States Coast Guard Reserves United States National Guard United States Army Reserve United... For the computer game, see Imperialism (computer game). ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ...

The U.S. invested heavily in programs such as the Marshall Plan and in the reconstruction of Japan, economically cementing defense ties that owed increasingly to the fall of the Iron Curtain and widening of the Cold War. The aegis of American backing enabled not only the rapid reindustrialization of Europe and Japan, but allowed nations to experiment with new structures such as the European Coal and Steel Community, further enhancing international cooperation. Map of Cold-War era Europe and the Near East showing countries that received Marshall Plan aid. ... Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it â€” blue. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Members of the European Coal and Steel Community Flag of the European Coal and Steel Community The European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was founded in 1951 (Treaty of Paris), by France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands to pool the steel and coal resources of its member...

But in the best position to take advantage of free trade, culturally indisposed to traditional empires (though not without its own colonial interests), and alarmed by the rise of communism in China and the detonation of the first Soviet atom bomb, the historically isolationist U.S. also took a keen interest in developing multilateral institutions which would maintain a favorable world order among them. Communism is an ideology that seeks to establish a classless, stateless social organization based on common ownership of the means of production. ... The mushroom cloud of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945 lifted nuclear fallout some 18 km (60,000 feet) above the epicenter. ... Isolationism is a foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of economic nationalism (protectionism). ...

Some critics maintain that these programs and organizations are in effect instruments of American power or state policy, or are mismanaged and have deleterious effects on certain nations. Others express resentment at their countries' dependence on U.S. military protection, due to disagreements with U.S. policy or the presence of U.S. forces themselves. The ability of the U.S. to act as "the world's policeman" is constrained further by its own citizens' historic aversion to foreign wars. Nevertheless, the institutions behind the Pax Americana have persisted into the early 21st century. This article needs additional references or sources to facilitate its verification. ... Logo of the World Bank The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development is one of the five institutions consisting the World Bank Group. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Global Financial System refers to those financial institutions and regulations that act on the international level, as opposed to those that act on a national or regional level. ... A fixed exchange rate, sometimes (less commonly) called a pegged exchange rate, is a type of exchange rate regime wherein a currencys value is matched to the value of another single currency or to a basket of other currencies, or to another measure of value, such as gold. ... NATO 2002 Summit in Prague. ... Collective Security is a system aspiring to the maintenance of peace, in which participants agree that any breach of the peace is to be declared to be of concern to all the participating states, and will result in a collective response. ... The Southeast Asia Treaty Organization (SEATO), created by the Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty or the Manila Pact, was an international organization for collective defense established on September 8, 1954. ... Warsaw Pact countries to the east of the Iron Curtain are shaded red; NATO members to the west of it â€” blue. ... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... East Asia Geographic East Asia. ... The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (typically abbreviated GATT) was originally created by the Bretton Woods Conference as part of a larger plan for economic recovery after World War II. The GATTs main purpose was to reduce barriers to international trade. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... Polish Prevention Detachment New York City Police Department patrol car Police are agents or agencies empowered to effect public and social order through various means of coercion including the legitimate use of force. ...

Pax Americana as imperialism

The long history of U.S. isolationism subsided only after major shocks associated with the Spanish-American War, World War I, and World War II, the Cold War, and various post-Cold War conflicts with non-state actors. Critics such as Howard Zinn and Noam Chomsky argue that the United States has sought, or has found itself forced into, a quasi-imperialist role by its status as one of the world's superpowers. However, the term "isolationist" in this context applies to the global stage; the United States has never been isolationist with respect to the Western Hemisphere, which it has considered to fall within its sphere of influence, and has a long history of military intervention within this region of the world. Isolationism is a foreign policy which combines a non-interventionist military policy and a political policy of economic nationalism (protectionism). ... Combatants United States Republic of Cuba Philippine Republic Spain Commanders Nelson A. Miles William R. Shafter George Dewey MÃ¡ximo GÃ³mez Emilio Aguinaldo Patricio Montojo Pascual Cervera Arsenio Linares General RamÃ³n Blanco Casualties 3,289 U.S. dead (432 from combat); considerably higher although undetermined Cuban and Filipino... â€œThe Great War â€ redirects here. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki TÅjÅ Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... For other uses, see Cold War (disambiguation). ... Howard Zinn (born August 24, 1922) is an American historian, political scientist, social critic, activist and playwright, best known as author of the bestseller, A Peoples History of the United States. ... Avram Noam Chomsky (Hebrew :××‘×¨× × ×•×¢× ×—×•×ž×¡×§×™ Yiddish: ××‘×¨× × ×•×¢× ×›××ž×¡×§×™) , Ph. ... A superpower is a state with the ability to influence events or project power on a wide scale. ... The geographical western hemisphere of Earth, highlighted in yellow. ... A sphere of influence (SOI) is an area or region over which an organization or state exerts some kind of indirect cultural, economic, military or political domination. ...

The fiercest debates between imperialist and isolationist factions occurred at the end of the 19th century. At that time, the imperialist faction favored U.S. control of Hawaii and the Philippines. Those who favored traditional American policies of avoiding foreign entanglements included Samuel Gompers and Andrew Carnegie. At that time, "imperial" was used as a positive term by supporters and as a negative term by opponents. When Theodore Roosevelt became President following the assassination of William McKinley in 1901, Roosevelt accelerated McKinley's U.S. foreign policy first major shift away from isolationism towards a policy of global foreign intervention. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Official language(s) English, Hawaiian Capital Honolulu Largest city Honolulu Area Ranked 43rd - Total 10,931 sq mi (29,311 kmÂ²) - Width n/a miles (n/a km) - Length 1,522 miles (2,450 km) - % water 41. ... Samuel Gompers (January 26, 1850 - December 13, 1924) was an American labor and political leader. ... Andrew Carnegie (November 25, 1835 â€“ August 11, 1919) was a Scottish industrialist, businessman, a major philanthropist, and the founder of Pittsburghs Carnegie Steel Company which later became U.S. Steel. ... Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. ... For other uses, see President of the United States (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Selective assassination be merged into this article or section. ... For the mountain, see Mount McKinley. ... Year 1901 (MCMI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday [1] of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ...

The democratic peace theory

An alternative theory for the increasing peacefulness is the ongoing spread of democracy. Much empirical research on the Democratic peace theory has found that democracies rarely, or never, make war on one another. The democratic peace theory or simply the democratic peace is a theory and related empirical research in international relations, political science, and philosophy which holds that democraciesâ€”usually, liberal democracies[1]â€”never or almost never go to war with one another. ... The democratic peace theory or simply the democratic peace is a theory and related empirical research in international relations, political science, and philosophy which holds that democraciesâ€”usually, liberal democracies[1]â€”never or almost never go to war with one another. ...

Contents

Heritage of Pax Britannica

Origins of the peace

Pax Americana as imperialism

The democratic peace theory

See also

Footnotes

External links