The American Empire: Triumph or Tragedy

1
The American Empire Triumph or Tragedy?

• American leaders now like to compare themselves
  to imperial Romans, even though they do not know
  much Roman history (Johnson 15).

2
The Late Roman Republic

• Consuls and Senate
• Pompey, Crassus and Caesar against Cato and the
  nobles The First Triumvirate.
• This alliance results in Caesar in Gaul, Pompey
  governing Spain, Crassus in Syria.
• Rome armies become more loyal to generals than
  the Republic.

3
Julius Caesar

• Caesar governs Gaul.
• Caesar with his army continues to amass power
  which invokes jealousy in the Republic .
• Caesar caught between a rock and a hard place.
• Caesar at the Rubicon.

4
The Rubicon

• The River Rubicon separated northern Italy from
  Rome. Specifically the Gaul in which Caesar
  assumes power as governor.
• It was establish law that crossing this river
  with a standing army is an act of declaring war.
• Caesar reaches the Rubicon which marked the
  boundary of his province and crosses because of
  efforts to deprive him of his command.
• The Poet Lucans account of Caesars word after
  crossing the stepping on the opposite bank he
  says Here I bid farewell to peace and outraged
  justice. It is thee, O Fortune, whom I follow.
  Away with treaties! Let us surrender to destiny!
  Let War be our judge!

5
Chaos in the Roman Republic

• Julius Caesar violates Roman law by crossing the
  Rubicon in northern Italy.
• Civil war breaks out within Roman territories.
• Power struggle among generals of large armies.
• Caesar is assassinated on the Ides of March
  44B.C. after years of warring.
• Octavian emerges and assumes as a dictator.

6
The Emergence of the Roman Empire

• The Senate relinquishes all its power to Octavian
  giving him the name Augustus.
• Octavian becomes powerful over Rome legions and
  affairs calling himself First citizen.
• Octavian as the emperor of Rome expanded its
  territory and the Roman Republic becomes an
  empire.

7
The fall of the Roman Empire Military End

• Roman military strategies.
• Roman Army extensive.
• People begin to lose faith in ruler and
  government system
• The Barbarians.

8
Can America Measure Its Fate to be similar?

• Is democracy in danger in the American Empire?
• Has the Presidency assumed more power while,
  Congress takes the back seat to the Presidents
  efforts?
• Are American armies representing the endeavors of
  the people?
• Is The U.S. set on a path toward militarism and
  empire?

9
The Imperial United States

• The United States empire as described by Johnson
  saying It was acquired through establishing
  permanent naval bases, military airfields, army
  garrisons, espionage listening posts, and
  strategic enclaves on every continent of the
  globe.(Johnson 23).

10
The Imperial U.S. continued

• The Cold War and the collapse of the Soviet
  Union.
• The United States takes pride in their mission to
  spread democracy to the international community.
• American Military expansion

11
Hegemony, Military Power and Imperialism
American vs. Roman Empire

• Rome maintained armies in all the surround
  provinces of the empire.
• Octavian channeled enormous wealth from the
  empire to the army.
• Rome eventually acquired many enemies.

• The U.S. has a vast chain of military bases in
  all continents in the international system.
• U.S. cost for Iraq war is projected to possibly
  surpass 1 trillion. msnbc.com
• U.S. annual military budget tops the list as the
  worlds largest.
• The U.S. has a history of enemies.