Power in America According to P.J. Taylor (334) Power is the ability to be successful in a conflict; this maybe overt through force or the threat of force; or covert through non decision-making or structural advantage. The term power will be used to discuss how the United States can be described as the most dominate hegemony of the past century. Power can also be defined or generalized into many characteristics that describe how a country functions geographically. Power is a major role in political influence. It affects the politics in foreign policy and many other foreign relations as well. Power can intimidate or provoke a country to act in a way they might not act.
Power is a major asset that can bring a country to reach its potential. Power can also ruin a country. Political institutions are the rules that regulate the exercise of power in societies and in the world. When power becomes institutionalized – that is, when rules for the use of power are widely accepted – the holders of power have authority. Without authority to justify it, the exercise of power becomes a test of the raw force that power holders are able to wield, in the face of widespread resistance (Goldstein).
Power holders in the political sphere almost always want their use of power to be viewed as legitimate which means that they work to institutionalize their power they want to make it authoritative. The Unites States is a leading country in the world because it has both political and economic power. I will present some of the criteria Modeski used in his model and the cycle he refers to as Modeskis Long Cycles of Global Politics. We will discuss both the political power and economic power of the United States as it establishes global order.
The Essay on Ancient Greece Age Power Political
Ancient Greece Greece The Greek peninsula has been culturally linked with the Aegean Islands, and the west coast of Asia Minor since the Neolithic Age. The numerous natural harbors and close-lying islands lead to a unified, maritime civilization. However cultural unity did not produce political unity. Mountain ranges and deep valleys separated the peninsula into small economic and political units. ...
In todays society a balance of power is necessary. The term balance of power refers to the relatively equal power capabilities of rival states or alliances. The balance of power theory maintains that when one state or alliance increases its power or applies it more aggressively; threatened states will increase their own power in response, often by forming a counter-balancing coalition. Many states will counter any threat to its own security by allying with other threatened states and then increasing their own military capabilities. A states power is derived from the size of its landmass, population, and its level of technology. These potential powers measured into military capability.
The effective use of military force depends on such elements as leadership, morale, geography, and luck. The balance of power is extremely important in international relations; it can distinguish between good friendly relations and war. Alliances are important to help smaller states defend themselves from aggressive states looking to control others. Though these alliances many states came together and created their own states. In todays world, national governments have the major power within the territories under their control. Without the assent of the government, no corporation could prosper. State institutions differ from other institutions in a society (such as educational institutions or religious institutions) in several ways (Goldstein).
The political rule through which a government operates is monopolistic. They require compliance, and they tolerate no strong competition, hence being monopolistic. A government will use force, if necessary, to secure the abiding of the rules they enforce, and withdrawing from the oversight of governmental bodies is difficult. You can change many other aspects of life, but you are unable to change governments. Looking at the United States (US); we can see a power that has been developed. This country according to Modeski is the state that has the most influence in the world today. The question that remains is How did this country rise to power? In this next section there is a brief history of the US, followed by the factors that brought this colony into the worlds spotlight. The United States consists of an area 3,696,000 sq.
The Essay on Economic Power Japan World War
... control by military power for years and had plans to dominate the world. Not until when the United State join the World War II, the fate ... army. The country is controlled by a peaceful and responsible government. The industry was important to make peaceful goods that benefit ... charge, Japan was to establish a responsible and democratic self-government. Japan would not be a threat to the U. S. ...
miles (9,573,000 sq. km. Its population currently is 263,300,000. The English colonized this state in the 1600s. In 1776, the 13 American colonies won independence from England. The new nation now began to expand west word. After a civil war from 1861 – 65 the state was unified as a whole. Then the late 19th century brought industrialization to the Northeast and Midwest, attracting millions of European immigrants.
The United States entered into World War I in 1917. Many observers interpreted the First World War as the inevitable culmination of realist thinking in international relations. Realism was interpreted as representing the Old Worlds way of conducting international affairs. The entry of the United States into the war signaled the entry of idealism into international relations as the New Worlds way of organizing affairs of state. (Taylor p.52).
The United States was now considered a world power. They initiated a process that would prevent a World War from happening again. This was to control power by means of the collective action of our states (Taylor p.52).
The product of this was the League of Nations. This also brought about the term geopolitics. The United States was dealing with change as idealists with Bowmans world survey and realism being expunged from political geography. (Taylor p.53) After 1918 the world and the United States experienced a surge of growth. This became known as the Roaring Twenties. Economic growth was fast and uncontrollable which eventually led to disaster. The stock market crashed in 1929 and the world was to experience 10 years of depression. The new power experienced by a surging United States disappeared quickly, as the world was unable to pull itself out of the depression.
The Essay on United States Expansionism World People War
AP AM HISTORY DB 7 - (An A+ Essays Original Paper, written by Zoo Patrol) To what extent was the late nineteenth-century and early twentieth century United States expansionism a continuation of past United States expansionism and to what extent was it a departure? For almost 100 years since it's birth, U. S. foreign policy was based on expanding westward, protecting U. S. interests, and limiting ...
The United States needed to revitalize its industry and it was widely considered that World War II helped increase and revitalize the United States economy. The United States entered the war in 1941 after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. The war ended in 1945 after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on Japan. The war allowed industry in the United States to surge. This beginning of economic growth would lead to economic power and political control of its allies. The United States was a democracy and believed in the free market economy.
This type of economy allowed entrepreneurship and the profit went to the industrialists or developers. Social programs were instituted and supported by tax base that was collected from all the people. (Goldstein) This contrasted sharply with the Soviet Union, which had a centrally planned economy. Everyone shared in the profits and you had two classes of people: the rich (very few) and the poor. After the war, conflicts arose between the major powers as to how the spoils would be divided and what type of government they would have. A cold war developed between the United States and the Soviet Union. They both believed their form of government was best.
A nuclear arms race began in both countries and continued until the mid 1980s when communist idealism fell and democracy prevailed. The US economy is the cornerstone of its power. For example the United States per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of $25,850 is one of the highest in the industrialized world. There is social power, which tends to be centered in family relationships but can be broadened a circle of people in which a person has influence. Social power is obviously limited in scope. There is an allegiance to the United States and an attitude that they are the best in the world.
They may be and this is a form of social power. The United States is also able to influence the world through the media. They show their military might as seen in the Gulf War. This military might provides a means to acquire and hold power. It is usually a dominating factor in authoritarian societies, and also one that is predominant in many other countries as well. Most large countries have military forces, as do many small ones, and nearly all of them spend very large sums of money to equip and maintain their military sectors, which is where the threat of power comes from.
The Essay on State Of War Locke Bush President
Our Current State Of War A "State of War" is a period when two nations, parties, or even individuals are in open and armed conflict with each other. But how does this come about, and how would John Locke and President George W. Bush feel about how it is that a state of war originates? What actions must take place for war to exist? Is there a period of time that must be spent deliberating the ...
There are economic laws, but there are political guns. Pure force has a way of changing the way laws are applied, even economic ones. Ultimately, then, a countrys economic system requires political approval to survive and flourish (Goldstein).
In this sense, politics and the force that wields it are the final word, and always have the potential to dominate both the economic and social spheres. The United States is now the most powerful nation in the world. it has the political power to influence other countries. It has the economic structure to supply a war machine that is second to none.
Lastly it has a currency that every other country compares itself to. Taking all that into consideration I can now say – If you have the power you can influence any country any way you with. The United States has the power.
Bibliography:
Goldstein, A. Development of Market Economy. New York: Viking Press, 1996. Taylor, P. J.
Controversies in Balance of Power. England: Penguin Books, 1998. Modeski, I. Major World Political Developments of 20th Century. Oxford University Press, 2000..
