DOCSLIB.ORG

Addressing America: Washington's Farewell and the Making of National Culture, Politics, and Diplomacy, 1796-1852

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Addressing America: Washington's Farewell and the Making of National Culture, Politics, and Diplomacy, 1796-1852 Addressing America: Washington's Farewell and the Making of National Culture, Politics, and Diplomacy, 1796-1852 Author: Jeffrey J. Malanson Persistent link: http://hdl.handle.net/2345/2649 This work is posted on eScholarship@BC, Boston College University Libraries. Boston College Electronic Thesis or Dissertation, 2010 Copyright is held by the author, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise noted. Boston College The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Department of History ADDRESSING AMERICA: WASHINGTON‟S FAREWELL AND THE MAKING OF NATIONAL CULTURE, POLITICS, AND DIPLOMACY, 1796-1852 a dissertation by JEFFREY J. MALANSON submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy May 2010 © copyright by JEFFREY JAMES MALANSON 2010 Abstract “Addressing America: Washington‟s Farewell and the Making of National Culture, Politics, and Diplomacy, 1796-1852” Jeffrey J. Malanson Dissertation Advisor: David Quigley This dissertation argues that George Washington‟s Farewell Address established the foundational principles of U.S. foreign policy and was the central text through which citizens of the Early Republic came to understand the connections between the nation‟s domestic and foreign ambitions. In the eyes of most Americans, the Declaration of Independence affirmed their ideals and the Constitution established their government, but it was Washington‟s principles that would ensure the nation‟s maturation into a world power. The Address became deeply embedded in the popular consciousness through annual readings on Washington‟s birthday, frequent discussion of its principles in the press, and as an integral component of the civic education of the nation‟s youth. Ordinary Americans far removed from the nation‟s capital and from complicated debates over particular foreign policies and their implications could still express an informed opinion on the wisdom of those policies based on their understanding of the Farewell. “Addressing America” goes beyond this popular story to illuminate how the Farewell shaped the fundamental disagreement over the conduct of U.S. foreign policy from 1796 to 1852. When Washington issued his valedictory he intended it as a flexible and pragmatic statement of the general principles that should guide the construction of foreign policies aimed at protecting American interests. An essential part of Washington‟s wisdom was the recognition that the nation‟s interests would change over time, and thus so too would its foreign policies. Five years later, incoming President Thomas Jefferson summarized his approach to foreign policy in his inaugural address of 1801 by promising “peace, commerce, and honest friendship with all nations, entangling alliances with none.” This phrase was universally seen as an allusion to the Farewell Address and it immediately entered the popular lexicon as a way of pithily describing the nation‟s core foreign policy principles. Over time “entangling alliances with none” became associated directly with Washington. More than just a case of misattribution, the linking of this phrase to the Farewell permanently altered the meaning of the Address for most Americans; instead of a flexible statement of general principles, it became a rigid prescription for a permanent foreign policy of virtual isolation from the rest of the world. In the fifty years after Jefferson‟s inaugural, the overarching narrative of American foreign policy is the conflict between these competing interpretations of the Farewell Address and how these differences in principle produced a varied understanding of both U.S. foreign policy and America‟s place in the world. This dissertation is the first work of historical scholarship to conduct a sustained examination of the ways that Washington‟s Farewell Address was understood over time by early Americans and how it fundamentally shaped their view of the United States and its place in the world. Table of Contents Acknowledgments vi Introduction 1 One: Constructing the Farewell Address 13 Two: Washington‟s Farewell in the American Mind, 1796-1817 61 Three: John Quincy Adams and the Legacy of the Farewell Address 111 Four: America‟s Fundamental Principles of Foreign Policy and the Panama Congress of 1826 178 Five: The Revaluing of American Principles, 1826-1850 240 Six: “Washington or Kossuth”?: The Farewell Address in the American Mind after Fifty Years 306 Conclusion 365 Appendix A: The Foreign Policy Portion of Washington‟s Farewell 372 Address Appendix B: The Monroe Doctrine 379 Bibliography 383 v Acknowledgments First and foremost, I owe a debt of gratitude to the members of my dissertation committee: David Quigley and Seth Jacobs of Boston College, and Drew McCoy of Clark University. Each read multiple drafts of my entire dissertation, providing feedback and guidance and acting as a constant source of encouragement. I must especially thank my advisor, David Quigley, who was a champion of this project from the proposal stage forward, and who, despite being named Dean of the College and Graduate School of Arts and Sciences part way through the process, still made the time to regularly meet with me and read my sprawling chapter drafts. A graduate student could not ask for better mentors. The graduate students and faculty members of the BC History Department‟s Americanist Writing Group also deserve a note of thanks here. Not only did my fellow graduate students regularly read my 50-70 page chapters, offering insightful and much needed commentary, but the monthly meetings gave me firm deadlines for which to get work completed. The research for this dissertation was made possible by generous financial support from a variety of sources. A Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati Fellowship from the Massachusetts Historical Society and a Kate B. & Hall J. Peterson Fellowship from the American Antiquarian Society enabled me to conduct extended research at two of the nation‟s foremost archives. A Summer Research Stipend from the Clough Center for the Study of Constitutional Democracy at Boston College permitted me to round out my research with trips to vi the Library Company of Philadelphia, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the Library of Congress, and the National Archives. Finally, a Dissertation Fellowship from the Boston College Graduate School of Arts and Sciences allowed me to take a year off from teaching and get the vast majority of my dissertation writing completed. Last, but certainly not least, I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge family. My families, both the one I was born into and the one I married into, were a constant source of support and their enduring faith in me propelled me forward. My parents deserve special praise for always encouraging me to pursue my dreams, even if they took me to graduate school and multiple degrees in history. For as much as I owe all of these advisors, institutions, and family members, this work would not have been possible without the unwavering support of my wife, Katie. I am not normally at a loss for words, but I feel incapable of adequately expressing what having my best friend and the love of my life by my side throughout my time working on this project has meant to me. Being able to share the joyful moments and endure the difficult ones with her made this process not only survivable but enjoyable as well. Thank you for everything. vii Introduction For more than fifty years after its first publication in September 1796, George Washington‟s Farewell Address persisted for most Americans as the central document that shaped their understanding of the relationship the United States should have with the rest of the world and the principles that should guide its foreign policy. Washington could not have known when he sat down to prepare this Valedictory that it would have this type of significant and lasting impact, but he surely would have been gratified to learn that Americans still so highly valued the principles and maxims he had felt were essential to the nation‟s future growth and prosperity. This dissertation is interested in how the Farewell Address and its principles were used and understood by American policymakers and the American public from 1796 to 1852, and how these evolving views shaped the direction and conception of U.S. foreign policy and the larger project of the early American republic. Throughout this period the Address acted as both a principled foundation and rhetorical justification in debates about U.S. foreign policy between presidents, secretaries of state, diplomats, and members of Congress. Outside of this “official” sphere, it also carried a tremendous cultural importance, as it was seen as being not just the Father of his Country‟s vital Legacy to the American people but also the prescription for the achievement of the future glory he had predicted. Ordinary Americans far removed from the nation‟s capital and from complicated debates over foreign policies and their implications could still express an informed opinion on the wisdom of those 1 policies based on their understanding of the Farewell. Most importantly, the Farewell was the central lens through which most Americans viewed and understood the ongoing project that was the United States and its growth and development as a power on the world stage. When George Washington wrote about foreign policy in his Farewell Address he was really discussing an approach to foreign policy and the principles that should underlie it. As will be seen in this dissertation‟s first chapter, he devoted multiple manuscript pages to expressing these ideas, but his multitude of points and warnings can be boiled down to a single core idea: that the object of foreign policy should be the attainment and protection of America‟s best interests. Washington believed that an honest assessment of those interests, unclouded by foreign attachments or antipathies, by partisanship, or by anything else not concerned solely with strengthening the Union, would produce a wise foreign policy.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and the Quasi-War with France
    John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and the Quasi-War with France David Loudon General University Honors Professor Robert Griffith, Faculty Advisor American University, Spring 2010 1 John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, and the Quasi-War with France Abstract This paper examines the split of the Federalist Party and subsequent election defeat in 1800 through the views of John Adams and Alexander Hamilton on the Quasi-War with France. More specifically, I will be focusing on what caused their split on the French issue. I argue that the main source of conflict between the two men was ideological differences on parties in contemporary American politics. While Adams believed that there were two parties in America and his job was to remain independent of both, Hamilton saw only one party (the Republicans), and believed that it was the goal of all “real” Americans to do whatever was needed to defeat that faction. This ideological difference between the two men resulted in their personal disdain for one another and eventually their split on the French issue. Introduction National politics in the early American republic was a very uncertain venture. The founding fathers had no historical precedents to rely upon. The kind of government created in the American constitution had never been attempted in the Western World; it was a piecemeal system designed in many ways more to gain individual state approval than for practical implementation. Furthermore, while the fathers knew they wanted opposition within their political system, they rejected political parties as evil and dangerous to the public good. This tension between the belief in opposition and the rejection of party sentiment led to confusion and high tensions during the early American republic.
    [Show full text]
  • Alexander Hill Everett, Ou L'artisan Américain D'une Identité Cubaine
    Alexander Hill Everett, ou l’artisan américain d’une identité cubaine. (Axe IV, Symposium 16) Rahma Jerad To cite this version: Rahma Jerad. Alexander Hill Everett, ou l’artisan américain d’une identité cubaine. (Axe IV, Sympo- sium 16). Independencias - Dependencias - Interdependencias, VI Congreso CEISAL 2010, Jun 2010, Toulouse, France. halshs-00502328 HAL Id: halshs-00502328 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00502328 Submitted on 20 Jul 2010 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. Rahma Jerad Université Paris I – Panthéon Sorbonne/ LARCA CEISAL « Dépendances, Indépendances, Interdépendances » Alexander Hill Everett, ou l'artisan américain d'une identité cubaine Résumé: A partir du dix-huitième siècle, pour des raisons idéologiques, stratégiques et économiques, l'île de Cuba était dans la ligne de mire de la jeune république américaine, dont les dirigeants et la population rêvaient d'étendre le territoire sur le continent et au-delà. Les Etats-Unis ont usé nombre de stratagèmes pour devenir les heureux propriétaires de ce splendide joyau, des propositions d'achat aux pressions diplomatiques pour en éloigner les grandes puissances européennes en passant par les campagnes de propagande dans la presse.
    [Show full text]
  • (1826-1846) / Salvador García
    Salvador García Castañeda Presencia de Washington Irving y otros norteamericanos en la España Romántica (1826-1846) Boletín de la Biblioteca de Menéndez Pelayo. LXXXVII, 2011, 113-126 PRESENCIA DE WASHINGTON IRVING Y OTROS NORTEAMERICANOS EN LA ESPAÑA ROMÁNTICA (1826-1846)* ashington Irving es el representante más destacado, y el más conocido entre nos- otros, de la atracción que ejerció España sobre un considerable grupo de norte- Wamericanos quienes a lo largo del siglo XIX dejaron profunda huella de sus experiencias en la cultura de su país. Una huella manifiesta en libros de viajes, en traba- jos históricos y literarios, en la creación de bibliotecas y de colecciones de obras de arte, en el extraordinario auge de los estudios universitarios de la lengua, la cultura y la litera- tura españolas en los Estados Unidos y, finalmente, en difundir el conocimiento de España en aquel país. Esta conferencia tiene el carácter de una visión de conjunto pues me pro- pongo referirme a temas tan amplios como el magisterio y huella de Washington Irving y otros hispanófilos norteamericanos de la primera mitad del XIX sobre la literatura de su país en el momento de transición de la Ilustración al Romanticismo, así como a su deci- siva influencia sobre la difusión de los estudios universitarios del español en los Estados Unidos. Me he marcado tentativamente las fechas de 1826 a 1846 por ser respectivamente la de la primera visita a España del Washington Irving autor de Los cuentos de la Alham- bra, y la de la última como representante diplomático de su país. En aquellos años la vida cultural, política y económica norteamericana estaba con- centrada principalmente en Nueva Inglaterra, al Este del país, y principalmente en Fila- delfia, que fue la primera capital de los Estados Unidos, en Boston y en Nueva York.
    [Show full text]
  • 2015 National History Bowl High School Championships Round 7 First Quarter
    2015 National History Bowl High School Championships Round 7 First Quarter 1. The first of these organizations was likely formed to circumvent the Smith-Connally Act. James Carey sometimes gives his name to "hybrid" types of these organizations. The 2010 SpeechNow decision allowed one type of these organizations to accept unlimited donations for "independent expenditures;" that type is the "Super" one. For 10 points, what organizations use members' contributions to campaign for or against a particular candidate or ballot measure? ANSWER: PACs [or political action committees] <DW> {I} 2. The Poinsettia flower is named for the first holder of this position, Joel Roberts Poinsett. While serving in this position, Dwight Morrow used the tactic of "ham-and-eggs diplomacy." Henry Lane Wilson was recalled from this position for assisting a coup known as the "Ten Tragic Days," which brought Victoriano Huerta to power. For 10 points, name this American diplomatic office whose holder resides in Mexico City. ANSWER: United States Ambassador to Mexico [or Minister to Mexico; or Envoy to Mexico] <JB> {I} 3. One type of this object contained two distinct features called the porpax and antilabe, which made it easier to carry. Greek hoplites used a form of this object called the aspis, which contained a double grip system. Roman legions used a large type of this object called a scuta. The testudo formation made use of these objects. Along with spears, this object was used in a phalanx formation. For 10 points, name this defensive item used to block enemy attacks. ANSWER: shields [or aspis before mention; or scuta before mention] <JL> {I} 4.
    [Show full text]
  • Wedge-Issue Dynamics and Party Position Shifts: Chinese Exclusion
    Article Party Politics 17(6) 823–847 Wedge-issue dynamics ª The Author(s) 2010 Reprints and permission: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav and party position shifts: DOI: 10.1177/1354068810376184 Chinese exclusion ppq.sagepub.com debates in the post-Reconstruction US Congress, 1879–1882 Jungkun Seo University of North Carolina, Wilmington, USA Abstract Even when the stakes of party-building are high, political parties often find their members divided over a key policy position. In post-Reconstruction America, the hot-button issue of excluding Chinese immigrant workers strengthened Democratic cohesion while splitting the ‘party of Lincoln’. Previous research has not completely investigated the role of party competition and cohesiveness in paving the way for passage of the Chinese exclusion laws. In this investigation of the legislative politics of banning the Chinese from 1879 to 1882, it is found that cross-pressured members sometimes facilitate party transformation. The evidence demonstrates that partisan responses to potential wedge issues are a previously unnoticed source of explanation of eventual party position changes. Keywords Chinese exclusion laws, party position change, rank-and-file members, wedge issue Paper submitted 4 June 2009; accepted for publication 15 September 2009 Corresponding author: Jungkun Seo, Department of Public and International Affairs, University of North Carolina, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA. Email: [email protected] 823 824 Party Politics 17(6) ‘Ought we to exclude them? The question lies in my mind thus; either the Anglo Saxon race will possess the Pacific slope or the Mongolians will possess it. We have this day to choose ... whether our legislation shall be in the interest of the American free laborer or for the servile laborer from China.’ Senator James G.
    [Show full text]
  • Numbered Record Hooks C O Ii C E R Ii I N G \.F I 1 I T a Ry Operations and Service
    NATIONAL ARCHIVES MICROFILM PUBLICATIONS PAMPHLET DESCRIBING M853 Numbered Record Hooks C o ii c e r ii i n g \.f i 1 i t a ry Operations and Service, Pay»• and Settlement of Accounts, and Supplies in the War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS SERVICE GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION WASHINGTON. 1973 RICHARD NIXON President of the United States ARTHUR F.SAMPSON Acting Administrator of General Services JAMES B. RHOADS Archivist of the United States The records reproduced in the microfilm publication are from War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records Record Group 92 in the National Archives Building NUMBERED RECORD BOOKS CONCERNING MILITARY OPERATIONS AND SERVICE, PAY AND SETTLEMENT OF ACCOUNTS, AND SUPPLIES IN THE WAR DEPARTMENT COLLECTION OF REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORDS On the 41 rolls of this microfilm publication are reproduced 199 numbered record books, with related separate indexes and one unnumbered record book, concerning Revolutionary War military operations and service, pay and settlement of accounts, and sup- plies. These records are part of War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records, Record Group 93. Most of the numbered record books were created during the period 1775-833 but some were continued in use or were begun in the early postwar years, and a few are copies made after 1800 of earlier records. The separate indexes were compiled in the 19th and 20th centuries by custodians of the records. The War Department Collection of Revolutionary War Records An act of Congress of August 7, 1789 (1 Stat. 49) established the Department of War in the Federal Government.
    [Show full text]
  • Copyright © 1989, 2000, 2006, by Salem Press, Inc. Copyright © 2015 by Salem Press, a Division of EBSCO Information Services, Inc., and Grey House Publishing, Inc
    Copyright © 1989, 2000, 2006, by Salem Press, Inc. Copyright © 2015 by Salem Press, A Division of EBSCO Information Services, Inc., and Grey House Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner. For permission requests, contact [email protected]. For information contact Grey House Publishing/Salem Press, 4919 Route 22, PO Box 56, Amenia, NY 12501. ¥ The paper used in these volumes conforms to the American National Standard for Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, Z39.48-1992 (R1997). Publisher's Cataloging-In-Publication Data (Prepared by The Donohue Group, Inc.) American presidents.—Fourth edition / editor, Robert P. Watson, Lynn University. 2 volumes : illustrations, maps ; cm “Editor, First Edition, Frank N. Magill ; editors, Third Edition, Robert P. Watson, Florida Atlantic University [and] Richard Yon, University of Florida.” Includes bibliographical references and index. Contents: Volume 1. The American Presidency, George Washington–Woodrow Wilson —volume 2. Warren G. Harding–Barack Obama, Index. ISBN: 978-1-61925-940-9 (set) ISBN: 978-1-68217-081-6 (v.1) ISBN: 978-1-68217-082-3 (v.2) 1. Presidents—United States—Biography. 2. Presidents—United States—History. 3. United States—Politics and government. I. Watson, Robert P., 1962- E176.1 .A6563 2015 973.09/9 B First Printing Printed in the United States of America Introduction The Pageantry of the Presidency forty-third man to hold the office, but he was To many people, the presidency is the most vis- the forty-fourth president because Grover ible part of the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Anson Burlingame: Diplomat, Orator
    Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research Volume 7 Number 2 JAAER Winter 1997 Article 4 Winter 1997 Anson Burlingame: Diplomat, Orator Tim Brady [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer Scholarly Commons Citation Brady, T. (1997). Anson Burlingame: Diplomat, Orator. Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research, 7(2). Retrieved from https://commons.erau.edu/jaaer/vol7/iss2/4 This Forum is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at Scholarly Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Journal of Aviation/Aerospace Education & Research by an authorized administrator of Scholarly Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Brady: Anson Burlingame: Diplomat, Orator FORUM ANSON BURLINGAME: DIPLOMAT, ORATOR Tim Brady Like a previous article titled "Cross-Cultural Underpinnings of the Taiping Rebellion: Potential Modem Applications" (Brady, 1993), this article too is somewhat out of step with the mainstream of information normally presented in JAAER, but in this author's opinion it is an important deviation. Why? Because it looks into the essential character of an important civilization that we know very little about, the Chinese, and it provides a glimpse of what happened in the past when our two cultures came into significant contact. The relevance of this paper to aviation is that it posts warning signs as to what can happen if we are not properly prepared to deal with that great civilization on terms that are mutually beneficial. As reported in Aviation Week and Space Technology, China is expected to have the highest growth in air traffic of all Asian countries in the firsthalf of the next decade (Mecham, 1993).
    [Show full text]
  • The Poinsettia: History and Transformation
    HISTORY The Poinsettia: History and Transformation Judith M. Taylor, Roberto G. Lopez, Christopher J. Currey and Jules Janick Figure 2. The poinsettia is a common The beautiful poinsettia, known for its scarlet bracts, comes to us encrusted with myth and landscape plant in the tropics (Huang, legend as befi ts a royal plant of the Aztecs. The Nahua people in Mexico called it cuetlaxochitl; 2007). xochitl is ancient Nahua for an ornamental fl ower. This plant did not fl ourish in their high altitude capital, Tenochtitlan (now Mexico City), but every winter the rulers imported thousands of the plants from warmer regions. Extracts of the plant were used to dye cloth and its milky sap, or latex, was used for medicinal purposes. The Spanish conquerors and missionaries attempted to erase all evidence of the preceding pagan Aztec religion but records have survived showing that the plants were used for religious ceremonies in the winter (Anderson and Tischer, 1997). Once the Spanish friars took over they adopted the brilliant red plant as part of the Christmas ritual. The Spanish-speaking Mexicans named it fl ore de nochebuena, the fl ower of the Holy Night (Christmas Eve), and the French later named it etoile d’amour (star of love). The vivid red bracts of poinsettia that emerge in mid-winter have signifi ed the festive mood at Christmas and the joy of the season for many for over 150 years in the United States and Europe. The purpose of this article is to establish the actual story of its arrival in the United States and Europe attempting to clear away all the accumulated misinformation and cobwebs, and to review its extraordinary development as an important horticultural crop.
    [Show full text]
  • Ocm08458220-1808.Pdf (13.45Mb)
    1,1>N\1( AACHtVES ** Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2009 with funding from University of Massachusetts, Boston http://www.archive.org/details/pocketalmanackfo1808amer ; HUSETTS ttttter UnitedStates Calendar; For the Year of our LORD 13 8, the Thirty-fecond of American Independence* CONTAINING . Civil, Ecclrfaflirol, Juiicial, and Military Lids in MASSACHUSE i'TS ; Associations, and Corporate Institutions, tor literary, agricultural, .nd amritablt Purpofes. 4 Lift of Post-Towns in Majfacjufetts, with the the o s s , Names of P r-M a ters, Catalogues of the Officers of the GENERAL GOVERNMENT, its With feveral Departments and Eftabiifhments ; Tunes of jhc Sittings ol the feveral Courts ; Governors in each State ; Public Duties, &c. USEFUL TABLES And a Variety of other intereftiljg Articles. * boston : Publiflied by JOHN WEtT, and MANNING & LORING. Sold, wholesale and retail, at their Book -Stores, CornhUl- P*S# ^ytu^r.-^ryiyn^gw tfj§ : — ECLIPSES for 1808. will eclipfes .his THERE befiv* year ; three of the Sun, and two of the Moon, as follows : • I. The firit will be a total eclipfe of the Moon, on Tuefday morning, May io, which, if clear weather, will be viiible as follows : H. M. Commencement of the eclipfe 1 8^ The beginning or total darknefs 2 6 | Mean The middle of the eciiple - 2 53 )> iimc Ending of total darkneis - 3 40 | morning. "Ending of the eclipfe 4 ^8 J The duration of this is eclipfe 3 hours and 30 minutes ; the duration of total darkneis, 1 hour 34 minutes ; and the cbfcunty i8| digits, in the fouthern half of the earth's (hatiow.
    [Show full text]
  • The Superpowers: a Short History
    The Superpowers The Superpowers: a short history is a highly original and important book surveying the development of the USA and Russia (in its tsarist, Soviet and post-Soviet phases) from the pre-twentieth century world of imperial powers to the present. It places the Cold War, from inception to ending, into the wider cultural, economic and political context. The Superpowers: a short history traces the intertwining history of the two powers chronologically. In a fascinating and innovative approach, the book adopts the metaphor of a lifespan to explore this evolutionary relationship. Commencing with the inheritance of the two countries up to 1898, the book continues by looking at their conception to 1921, including the effects of the First World War, gestation to 1945 with their period as allies during the Second World War and their youth examining the onset of the Cold War to 1968. The maturity phase explores the Cold War in the context of the Third World to 1991 and finally the book concludes by discussing the legacy the superpowers have left for the twenty- first century. The Superpowers: a short history is the first history of the two major participants of the Cold War and their relationship throughout the twentieth century and before. Paul Dukes is Emeritus Professor of History at the University of Aberdeen. His many books include A History of Russia (Macmillan, 3rd edition, 1997) and World Order in History (Routledge, 1996). To Daniel and Ruth The Superpowers A short history Paul Dukes London and New York First published 2001 by Routledge 11 New Fetter Lane, London EC4P 4EE Simultaneously published in the USA and Canada by Routledge 29 West 35th Street, New York, NY 10001 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2002.
    [Show full text]
  • The Democratic Party and the Transformation of American Conservatism, 1847-1860
    PRESERVING THE WHITE MAN’S REPUBLIC: THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AMERICAN CONSERVATISM, 1847-1860 Joshua A. Lynn A dissertation submitted to the faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of History. Chapel Hill 2015 Approved by: Harry L. Watson William L. Barney Laura F. Edwards Joseph T. Glatthaar Michael Lienesch © 2015 Joshua A. Lynn ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ii ABSTRACT Joshua A. Lynn: Preserving the White Man’s Republic: The Democratic Party and the Transformation of American Conservatism, 1847-1860 (Under the direction of Harry L. Watson) In the late 1840s and 1850s, the American Democratic party redefined itself as “conservative.” Yet Democrats’ preexisting dedication to majoritarian democracy, liberal individualism, and white supremacy had not changed. Democrats believed that “fanatical” reformers, who opposed slavery and advanced the rights of African Americans and women, imperiled the white man’s republic they had crafted in the early 1800s. There were no more abstract notions of freedom to boundlessly unfold; there was only the existing liberty of white men to conserve. Democrats therefore recast democracy, previously a progressive means to expand rights, as a way for local majorities to police racial and gender boundaries. In the process, they reinvigorated American conservatism by placing it on a foundation of majoritarian democracy. Empowering white men to democratically govern all other Americans, Democrats contended, would preserve their prerogatives. With the policy of “popular sovereignty,” for instance, Democrats left slavery’s expansion to territorial settlers’ democratic decision-making.
    [Show full text]