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America and The New World Order
Copyright 1996 by Richard K. Moore
14 October 1996
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Part 1 - The birth of democratic republics -- the American Revolution
Roots of independence
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Although there was very little sentiment for independence in the
American colonies prior to the middle of the 18th century, there were
objective conditions which made independence a natural, and
comparatively non-disruptive step. The colonies were largely self-
governing, had their own social identity, had immense natural
resources, were mostly self-sufficient economically, and had their
own extensive trading fleet. Boston had the third-busiest harbor in
the British Empire.
The colonies paid taxes to the Crown, lived under restrictions such
as a prohibition on industrialization, and received in return the
protection of the Crown and access to British markets. But in fact
the benefits of being subject to Britain were marginal. When
frontier war with the French-backed natives occurred, for example,
help from the Crown was slow in coming, and the colonies were then
taxed for the troop expenditures. On a day-to-day basis, colonists
collectively fended for themselves.
Role of propaganda
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
The factor necessary to spark revolution turned out to be
ideological: the enlightenment ideas regarding market forces and of
the rights of man. For the wealthy elite, these ideas implied
_commercial_ freedom -- from Royal interference in economic
development, while to the populace, the ideas were presented as
implying _personal_ freedom and popular democratic sovereignty.
These two different meanings of "freedom", and their two distinct
constituencies, created a foundation of political hypocrisy and
propaganda doublespeak which has fractured the integrity of democracy
ever since. It was the elite, in pursuit of commercial self-
interest, who were the vanguard of the revolutionary movement, while
the populace was stirred up by high-sounding democratic principles
and sensationalized rabble-rousing around the issue of Royal
oppression and taxation.
The turning point in revolutionary consciousness, when a majority
came to favor independence, occurred in the form of a single earth-
shaking essay: Tom Paine's "Common Sense". This essay, written in an
unprecedented popular style that anyone could understand, broke all
existing publication records and was read aloud in every village and
town (and not only in America).
Common Sense created in the popular Western mind, for the first time
since the early Roman republic, the notion that government arises
from the consent of the governed -- that the people _are_ the nation.
It marked the beginning of the popular concept of _nationalism_ --
the notion that citizens find their identity in their nation and its
interests, rather than in their role as subjects of a domain
belonging to royalty and nobility.
Constitution and elite control
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Following independence, the American Constitution was drafted in
secret by members of the elite leadership. In fact, though not in
rhetoric, the Constitution was carefully designed to protect the
interests of the wealthy elite: from autocracy on the one hand, and
from popular democracy on the other. The original document did not
even contain a citizen's Bill of Rights, which had to be amended in
later, following popular outrage.
Some members of the elite certainly did support popular democracy
(typified by Thomas Jefferson) -- after all, the elite are people
too. But in the final analysis, it was the rhetoric of the new
regime which was democratic, while the reality was the facilitation
of capitalist development under elite control.
________________________________________________________________
Part 2 - Capitalism unleashed -- the American experience
Propaganda & Credulity
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
America was founded on hypocrisy (the myth of popular sovereignty)
and has been characterized by propaganda ever since. Propaganda is
by no means unique to the American experience -- all governments and
elites employ propaganda -- but propaganda has played a uniquely
intimate role in the American experience. Every event in American
history, from Independence onward, has been characterized by an elite
agenda, coupled with a propaganda cover story.
Because America is endowed with democratic mechanisms -- the
government is elected, after all -- such propaganda has been
essential from the beginning in order to maintain elite control.
Propaganda is one of the elite's primary antidotes to the dreaded
disease of _actual_ democracy.
The tendency of Americans to believe in illusion was a central part
of their nation's birth trauma. America is the land of Hollywood,
advertising, public relations, sugar-coated fairy tails, cult
religions, the "Defense" Department, Disneyland, and "progress". It
was of Americans that it was said "A fool is born every minute", "You
can fool all the people some of the time", and "You can never
underestimate the intelligence of the public".
The rhetoric of liberation and democracy captured the imagination not
only of Americans, but of the whole world. America became an almost
mystical symbol, spoken of in fable-like imagery: "the land of
freedom", "the land of opportunity", "the American Dream", "streets
paved with gold", "bastion of democracy". America was something
people everywhere yearned to believe in -- it seemed (and claimed) to
be the fairy tale kingdom of everyone's childhood dreams.
The rhetoric vs. reality examples abound: rights-of-man vs. slavery,
self-determination vs. native genocide, democracy vs. exploitation,
defense vs. imperialism -- it was profound ironic justice (almost a
proof of a just God) when the Liberty Bell cracked on first ringing.
The War Culture
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
America was born out of a war it initiated, and it has achieved its
growth through periodic warfare ever since. There has been a
significant war approximately every thirty years, usually initiated
(overtly or covertly) by America, and always achieving a new stage in
the growth of American power and the expansion of American-based
elite interests.
The national anthem glorifies exploding rockets and the waving of the
flag, and warfare is central to the American spirit. A common
scenario underlies these wars: there is always an incident which is
portrayed as an outrage against America, and the populace then
rallies to the common defense with a characteristic ferocity and
self-righteousness.
The incidents may be provoked, as with the Mexican War, arranged, as
with the Lusitania, or imagined, as in the Gulf of Tonkin -- but they
are always deftly exploited and enable the elite expansionist agenda
to be further advanced, under cover of yet another crusade for
"freedom and democracy". The elite is always well-prepared for the
incident, has a plan ready for execution, and its propaganda
machinery goes into full gear as the incident unfolds.
The use of outrage-incidents to launch elite-planned military
campaigns accomplishes several objectives. It triggers the in-built
American war spirit, and channels the resulting righteous wrath
toward the nominated enemy. It also concentrates power in the
executive branch, where elite control is usually most undiluted by
popular influence. Congress -- where popular will is most likely to
find expression -- is then relegated to the role of loyal stores-
supplier for the duration of the campaign.
This process is exemplified by the Gulf of Tonkin incident, which
enabled full-scale U.S. military involvement in Vietnam. The
incident itself was faked, but Congress promptly issued its usual
knee-jerk Resolution, authorizing the President to "act in defense".
The "authorized actions" were then incrementally escalated into a
full-scale war, with Congress having no further influence, and
popular will finding expression only in the streets.
The eventual scope of the war was completely beyond anything
authorized by the original Congressional Resolution, but once America
is on the warpath, its war-culture ethic does not include room for
dissent or reconsideration -- it would be betraying the boys at the
front.
Territorial expansion
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Territory was acquired via purchase (Louisiana, Alaska) or conquest
(Mexican Southwest). But the interesting story was the process of
consolidation into the capitalist scheme of development.
The "front line" against the natives was not advanced by the army,
but rather by land agents. They would gain title to tracts of native
land, sell them at a profit to naive pioneers, and then the army
would finally get involved to enable the pioneers to occupy "their"
land. The propaganda was about defending against the "heathen
savages", while the real agenda was increasing the territory
available for profitable investment.
The Civil War was not a moral crusade against slavery, as became the
cover story. It was rather a scuttling of the feudalistic, free-trade
oriented, plantation pattern, in favor of a national dedication to
protectionist industrial development, which offered greater scope for
capital growth.
Imperialism
^^^^^^^^^^^
Just as America was originally an economic colony -- an investment
zone more than an administrated territory -- so America's own pattern
of imperialism has been one of creating safe-haven investment zones,
administered by proxy.
Every revolution takes to heart the lesson of its own birth, and
America has excelled at preventing its econo-colonies from breaking
away -- avoiding a replay of the American Revolution. Vietnam was a
singular setback.
America gained independence via guerrilla warfare, and became
thereafter the world's expert at suppressing guerrilla warfare. It
espoused democracy in its own formation, and endeavored thereafter to
suppress or subvert democracy everywhere. Its independence was
possible because of a fortunate self-sufficiency, and ever since it
has sought to undermine or destroy self-sufficient economies, to
provide new venues for capital growth.
Immigration and the Melting Pot
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
While immigration's cover story was "welcoming the huddled masses",
the real purpose was to provide a constantly renewed pool of
exploitable cheap labor. Instead of Britain's static class system of
tiered exploitation, America invented a dynamic class ladder system
(known as the Melting Pot), where new (ethnically identifiable) lower
classes were continually placed on the bottom rung, willingly trading
their home-country cultural identify to struggle for acceptance as
bona fide Americans.
Ethnic rivalries helped divide-and-conquer the masses, preventing
democratic solidarity. Each segment of the American socioeconomic
ladder was happy to see lower rungs suppressed, while it viewed
higher rungs as its future opportunity. Thus the prisoners of the
ladder class system were motivated to embrace their own exploitation,
and the elite was spared the development of a general popular
socioeconomic consciousness.
The American Image became not only the "land of freedom", but also
the "land of opportunity". This latter image was more truthful, and
more in harmony with the elite's own vision for America, focused on
wealth accumulation. The Horatio Alger myth was born, of the poor
immigrant who achieves immense wealth in one lifetime.
Thus was fostered a "lottery" mentality regarding economics --
attention is focused on the rare individuals who win big, distracting
attention from the overall pattern of systematic subjugation and
exploitation. The victim takes the blame for his own predicament: if
he isn't well-off, it's only because he's not clever enough. The
question of why most things are owned or controlled by the elite is
never raised.
Capitalism, development, and "progress"
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Capitalism has only one goal: the increasing of a pot of gold into a
larger pot of gold. National economic development is not pursued to
provide general prosperity (as goes the cover story), but because it
facilitates the growth of elite wealth hordes. This distinction
becomes clear when we see capital migration to lower-waged areas
(early: movement of cotton mills from New England to the South;
eventually: movement of capital out of the country entirely).
Progress, says the myth, is about improving the quality of people's
lives. In fact, progress is about continually scrapping one
infrastructure (or product portfolio) for another -- thereby allowing
capital to go through another cycle of re-investment and profit-
taking. Thus rail is superseded by highways, coal by oil and
electricity, home-made by store-bought clothes, ovens by microwaves,
main streets by shopping centers, small farms by agribusiness, family
doctors by medical corporations, home remedies by high-priced
pharmaceuticals, etc.
Such transformations do not always make even economic sense, but
often require intentional elite intervention. Functioning intra-city
light rail systems, for example, were covertly purchased (in several
urban areas) and dismantled, by automobile-related interests, to be
replaced by far less efficient, more polluting, oil-hungry bus and
auto traffic.
________________________________________________________________
Part 3 - Word War II -- America gains global control
Background of the war
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
World War II, it turns out, was largely planned and arranged by elite
elements, primarily in the U.S., Germany, and Britain. Hitler began
his rise as an operative of German military intelligence, and
received funding and support from elite Western industrialists.
While in prison, he kept a portrait of Henry Ford on his desk.
During the Spanish Civil War, the West kept the anti-fascist
opposition disarmed, while it approvingly observed the efficiency of
Hitler's growing war machine. American volunteers who fought against
Franco found their patriotism questioned when they returned home.
One must keep in mind that the rise of communist and socialist
movements created intense fear in elite capitalist circles. The
fascist movements were welcomed as desirable bulwarks against popular
democracy, which would naturally have involved less elite-friendly
economic policies, with socialist leanings.
Mein Kampf made it quite unambiguous that the primary strategic
objective in Hitler's mind was the subjugation and economic
exploitation of Russia. By ignoring their own prohibition on German
re-armament, and providing loans, the Western powers were in fact
collaborating with Hitler in the development of an invasion force
targeted on Russia -- socialism's bastion.
Meanwhile, the West was watching with discomfort Japan's growing
economic power and imperial scope. Japan was aiming to create a
formidable Asian economic zone, backed up by a large, modern navy.
This was a significant threat to Western, and especially American,
interests and designs. Not only would markets and investment
opportunities in populous Asia be highly curtailed, but Japan would
be dislodging the West from its accustomed role as collective master
of the seas and arbiter of global imperial arrangements. And who
knew what would be the bounds of this Asian empire? The aggressive
expansionism of Japan seemed destined to force a war with the West,
sooner or later.
America handled this complex situation with all the finesse and
subtlety of a skilled marital-arts expert, guided by a strategic
vision unsurpassed by the imperial masterminds of any previous age.
America orchestrates global domination
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
In the prewar years, Japan and Germany enjoyed credit and trade with
the West, while their aggressive designs and military machines were
allowed to develop. They were being given enough rope to hang
themselves with. Then, as was completely predictable, Hitler became
embroiled in a war with Russia and Japan became similarly entangled
in China and Southeast Asia.
It was only after this anticipated scenario had unfolded that Uncle
Sam unholstered his guns and prepared to take charge of the sequel.
The traditional war-popularizing incident, in this case, was the
inevitable Japanese strike on America's Pacific fleet. The incident-
facilitating provocation, in this case, was the cutoff of Japanese
oil supplies, which America convinced Holland to undertake.
When the incident occurred, President Roosevelt feigned surprise and
outrage, and the most formidable, popularly supported, military
crusade of all time was launched. The well-funded and well-armed
G.I. was loose on the world, and because of the eagerness with which
Germany and Japan had hung themselves in world opinion, he was
welcomed as a hero wherever he went.
While Japan was contained by rear-guard actions, peripheral pressure
was applied against the Nazis. The full-scale landing in Europe was
carefully withheld, to enable Germany to keep most of its troops on
the Russian front, so that Hitler and Stalin could decimate one
another to the maximum extent possible. Only when Stalin turned the
Nazis around, and began to advance toward Berlin, was the landing
carried out. D-Day was obviously timed to minimize the Russian
advance, not to hasten the demise of Nazism.
At the end of the war, America had managed to put itself in a
position which was very close to total global hegemony. It had the
run of the seven seas, an intact military machine and national
infrastructure, a monopoly on nuclear weapons, greatly expanded
influence in the oil-rich Middle East, and the lion's share of the
world's disposable wealth and industrial capacity. Meanwhile, most
of the rest of the world was in shambles, in deep debt, and/or under
occupation. America had the prestige, power, and resources to guide
the construction of post-war arrangements largely according to its
own designs.
Hitler had threatened to conquer the world, and lost a generation of
his men instead; Uncle Sam lost a comparatively minuscule number of
troops, with no proclaimed territorial ambitions, and yet world
domination seemed to fall into his lap.
________________________________________________________________
(continued...)
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