Imperial hubris: lessons for America

[go west young man]

The United States, with its claims of exceptionalism, is usually thought of as free of historical analogies. But comparisons with the fate of earlier empires are becoming more common.

I have recently been struck by an analogy from German history: the disaster of German leadership during the first world war, epitomised by Kaiser Wilhelm II. In 1888, at just 29, Wilhelm became the leader of a country on the cusp of European mastery. Wilhelm flaunted his absolute power, believing it to be divinely ordained, was contemptuous of parliament, revelled in the trappings of power, and delighted in uniforms. He was given to bombastic speeches, detested liberal critics, and spoke disparagingly of foreign nations.

Worse, he supported ministers and military personnel who called for an ever-greater German army, including a navy strong enough to challenge Britain's, and shunned the details of government, for they interfered with his diversions. From the beginning, members of his entourage worried about his volatility and mental balance.

http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/fritz_stern/2008/01/imperial_hubris.html

[trusty elf]

1. I think it's funny that "hubris" is an anagram for...

I, Shrub!

[xchrom]

2. the u.s. has been in a position to teach imperialism to others

for some time.

we could/should learn from our own mistakes.

[DCKit]

3. Karma dictates he would be reincarnated as a worm, not as Dumbya.

Oh, wait....

[muriel_volestrangler]

4. A comparison made on DU back in April 2004

see http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=1431932&mesg_id=1432019

Dropping The Pilot 1890:


Dropping The Pilot 2006: