How to hide an empire
Americans love to claim that they do not belong to an Empire. It is a passion of theirs. They fondly remember breaking away from the supposed tyranny of George III. Daniel Immerwahr tackles this misconception in his second book, How to Hide an Empire: A History of the Greater United States, uncovering the USA’s imperial past.
The USA’s foundation is colonial. Westward expansion beyond the Thirteen Colonies was an inevitable prospect after the Revolutionary War. This mirrored other imperial powers, as the US sought to annex more territory at the cost of the Native American population. The annexation of land also came about in a more formal manner. Immerwahr notes the Louisiana Purchase of 1803, the Mexican-American War in 1848, the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, and the 1867 purchase of Alaska - all agreements to expand US territory. This expansion was not only domestic but global. The Spanish-American War of 1898 to 1900 is often forgotten by Americans, even though it gave them a global empire. US victory over Spain acquired the Philippines, Guam, Puerto Rico, and a protectorate over Cuba. The treatment of these colonies was dire, with little regard for their well-being or political participation. US officials also poorly governed the territories because of both limited experience and desire for effective governance. Cornelius Rhoades is Immerwahr’s embodiment of this, a US doctor in Puerto Rico who claimed to have deliberately killed several native patients. The meagre rights of these territories were worsened by many problems, whether that be the hookworm epidemic of Puerto Rico or the continual unrest in the Philippines. Hawaii and Alaska experienced the same inferiority, only achieving parity with the US mainland when they became states in 1959.
An unknown detail of US foreign policy is its conquest of the Guano Islands, small volcanic islands with a high concentration of natural fertilisers. This was imperative due to the high demand for fertilisers to support agricultural production and thus population growth. However, Fritz Haber’s synthesis of ammonia removed this problem. The artificial production of ammonia enabled an endless supply of nitrates, shifting the bounds of food production beyond the previous natural level. The synthesis of rubber had a similar effect. South East Asia had been an attractive colonial asset for rubber production - evidenced by Britain and Japan’s interest. Yet, reliance on these colonies was mitigated by the large-scale synthesis of rubber from 1942. Likewise, plastic became more widespread during the Second World War. The synthesis of these artificial substances reduced a dependency on natural resources, eliminating the motive for centuries of colonisation. Aviation provided a similar disruption to global dynamics. The British Empire was based upon access to key trade hubs (Cape Town, Suez Canal, Hong Kong, Singapore, etc.). Yet this pursuit was futile for the US due to aviation, which superseded key waterways. Whilst maritime trade and natural resources remained important, human society had changed, with colonialism alongside it.
Immerwahr finishes with a relic of the USA’s colonial legacy, Guantanamo Bay. A naval base and CIA interrogation site earned in the Spanish-American War, its colonial nature persists today following the War on Terror. Osama bin Laden viewed the US as an imperial power due to its involvement in the Middle East, particularly its military bases in the region. These bases are characteristic of the USA’s neocolonialism. Their presence across Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East, and Africa exerts US influence globally, in a manner not seen since the British Empire.
Immerwahr concludes with the connotations of ‘colonialism.’ A term often synonymous with the negatives of governance, Immerwahr evokes that it does not need to be necessarily. Rather, it is a description of the political ideology that has encompassed American history.
Immerwahr’s style is addictive, factually heavy, and thrilling. He supplies anecdotes (such as his family connection to Fritz Haber) that contribute to a clear voice in his writing. The book is the work of an academic but accessible to the most casual of readers. I urge you to read it!