The Crimes of American Imperialism: A Brief History
American imperialism is the most reactionary, violent force on the planet. Even today, amidst the genocide in Gaza and America’s disastrous wars in Iran and Ukraine, its spokespeople and ideologists present US imperialism as a defender of “democracy” and “freedom.” History shows the exact opposite. American capitalism derived its strength—now in decline, relative to its rivals—from centuries of bloody conquest, tyranny, and brutal exploitation of the toiling masses on every continent.
The anti-imperialist mood awakened among American youth during Biden and Trump’s genocide in Gaza is a profoundly progressive development. An entire generation is uncovering, with revulsion, the rotten, bloodsoaked history of their country’s ruling class. Tens of millions of American workers are now seeking socialist and communist solutions to the problems bearing down on our society. In order to defeat the hated Epstein class, it will be necessary for revolutionary fighters to expose its historic crimes and explain the murderous origins of its wealth and power to the working class.
This session will focus on the history of American imperialism from 1941 to the present day. We will discuss its monstrous development first by exposing the ruling class’s myths surrounding America’s participation in the Second World War. From there we will turn to the sanguine savagery of capitalism’s global struggle against “communism” during the “Cold War,” proceeding then to the brutal rise and baleful collapse of American imperialism’s “unipolar moment.” We will tie this history to the events dominating today’s headlines and use it to illustrate vital aspects of the Marxist theory of imperialism.
This discussion will be introduced by Andrew Wagner, a leading member of the RCA in New York City.
Reading list:
Books
- Colossus: The Rise and Decline of American Imperialism – John Peterson
Articles
- Fire and Fury: the Legacy of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – Michael Angove
- Chile: 50 Years After the Coup D’etat – Carlos Cerpa Mallat
- 20 Years Since the Invasion of Iraq: the Brutal Legacy of Imperialism – Jonathan Hinckley
- Trump’s Defeat in Iran and its Worldwide Consequences – Jorge Martín
