Strategic Factors Influencing the British and American Empires

Abstract

Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the United States has been the sole remaining superpower. It is not a stretch of the imagination to consider it an empire. America dominates the world culturally, politically, economically, and militarily, in much the same way as a traditional empire, although without the direct possession of territory. The last global power was Great Britain during the reigns of Victoria and Edward. At the beginning of the twentieth century, the British Empire was the envy of the other great powers; the greatest empire the world had ever seen to that time; the time of the Pax Britannica. Since the end of World War II, America and the West generally have enjoyed peace and prosperity. Despite the Cold War, occasional regional wars, and a variety of local conflicts and revolutions, this era is often referred to as the Pax Americana" in view of the protection and stability provided by American military and economic power. This paper will examine four factors that influenced the strategic environment and the development of the British and American empires.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 07, 2003
Accession Number
ADA415668

Entities

People

  • S. Mcburnie

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Civil War
  • Cold War
  • Commerce
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Geography
  • Globalization
  • Governments
  • International Organizations
  • International Trade
  • National Security
  • Naval Warfare
  • New York
  • Second World War
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges

Fields of Study

  • History

Readers

  • East Asian Political and Security Studies within the Soviet Union
  • Military History / Militaries and War Studies