imperialism
Articles about empire, imperialism and anti-imperialism.
The Patriot War in Florida: Manifest Destiny, Slavery, Covert Intervention, and U.S. Imperialism
Historian Adam Wasserman's account of the Patriot uprising in 1812 East Florida, a covert operation sanctioned by the Madison Administration to 1) Wrest possession of the Florida territory from Spain 2) Wipe out the Seminoles, an indigenous tribe that resisted the encroachment of white settlers 3) Enslave the black Seminoles, fugitive slaves incorporated into the Seminole tribe 4) Destroy the free black militias at St. Augustine, an army of mulatto blacks who protected Spanish hold over the Florida territory and incited slave insurrection on the Southern frontier 5) Expand slavery into the territory.
This article is an extract from Wasserman's A People's History of Florida.
The Black Maroon Settlement of Angola: A Beacon of Freedom in Florida
Historian Adam Wasserman's account of Angola, a largely unknown free black maroon settlement in Tampa Bay, Florida that was destroyed by a covert excursion of pro-white Creeks under the orders of Andrew Jackson.
This article is an extract from Wasserman's A People's History of Florida.
Iraq - free market Jihad - Red and Black Notes
Red and Black Notes article on the imperialist aims of the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
News of the August blackout that left millions in the eastern United States and Canada without power was greeted in Iraq with amusement. "Now they know how we feel," said one Iraqi. Another remarked in acid tones, "I just hope it's not left to the Americans to restore power, or else things will never get put right.
The 1810 West Florida Annexation Scheme
Historian Adam Wasserman's account of the West Florida annexation plot of 1810, a U.S. imperialist covert operation designed to wrest control of West Florida from Spain.
“The persistent desire of the United States to possess the Floridas, between 1801 and 1819, amounted almost to a disease, corrupting the moral sense of each succeeding administration.” 1
- Historian Kendrick C. Babcock summing up U.S. attempts to annex East and West Florida in the first two decades of the 19th century.
“Sometimes we shoot the same way” – the attack on Gaza, internationalism and the Left
A libcom user and Anarchist Federation member analyses the 2008-2009 Israel-Gaza conflict, and the response of the left to events.
Israel’s brutal attack on the Gaza strip has elicited widespread revulsion, and has led to protests across Britain and the world. It is clear that the Israeli state has committed atrocities which anyone with an ounce of humanity would seek an end to. Its savage bombing of one of the most densely populated places on earth has resulted in over a thousand deaths.
The Israel lobby? - Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky responds to the work of John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt and argues against the idea that a lobby of pro-Israel interests effectively controls US foreign policy.
Their book The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy claims that the lobby leads the US into acting against its national interest, and that the Iraq war was a result of the lobby's influence.
Imperialism - further reading guide
Libcom's guide to further reading on empire and imperialism.
A. Orthodox Imperialism
Imperialism – Lenin
Against the Current – Lenin/Zinoviev
Leon Trotsky:
Writings
On China
Results and Prospects/Permanent Revolution
Finance Capital - R. Hilferding
The Accumulation of Capital - R. Luxemburg
The Accumulation of Capital: An Anti-Critique - R. Luxemburg
Imperialism and the Accumulation of Capital - N. Bukharin
The death of the "Israel Lobby?"
Will the news that the US vetoed Israeli plans to strike Iran's nuclear infrastructure put to bed the myth of the "Israel lobby"? I'd like to think so, but I doubt the comfort provided to some by such a view of the world will cease its appeal.
The news that president Bush vetoed Israeli plans to attack Iranian nuclear facilities whilst visiting the country in May should, with some luck, permanently put to bed the belief shared by conservatives, liberals and leftists alike in the “Israel Lobby”, and its grip on US interests.
National liberation and state power - An anarchist critique of the MPLA in Angola
A text written around 1980 by Martin Spence outlining a critique of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), and national liberation struggles in general.
INTRODUCTION
Labour Rebellions of the 1930s in the British Caribbean Region Colonies - Richard Hart
A brief overview of the numerous struggles which occurred in the British Caribbean during the 1930s, which led to the introduction of many trade union rights across the region, written by Jamaican trade unionist Richard Hart.
Published in 2002 jointly by Caribbean Labour Solidarity and the Socialist History Society.
About the author
