The Study of Roman The Study of Roman ImperialismImperialism

Empire and Imperialism:Empire and Imperialism:

Search for DefinitionsSearch for Definitions

Imperial Contrasts Imperial Contrasts Between Republic and EmpireBetween Republic and Empire

Republic (510-31 Republic (510-31 BCBC)) Conquest and Conquest and

ExpansionExpansion Ad Hoc Imperial Ad Hoc Imperial

AdministrationAdministration Client and Buffer Client and Buffer

StatesStates

Empire (31 Empire (31 BCBC--200 200 ADAD)) Maintenance and Maintenance and

ConsolidationConsolidation More Regularized More Regularized

Imperial Imperial AdministrationAdministration

LimesLimes and and Frontier Zones Frontier Zones

Empire and ImperialismEmpire and Imperialism

Search for DefinitionsSearch for Definitions

Empire of the “5 Cs”Empire of the “5 Cs”

Ingredients of Ingredients of EmpireEmpire

ConquestConquest ConstitutionalisConstitutionalis

mm CultureCulture ColonizationColonization CommerceCommerce

Types of Types of ImperialsimImperialsim

Military/Military/TerritorialTerritorial

PoliticalPolitical CulturalCultural Military/Military/

TerritorialTerritorial CommercialCommercial

Empire and ImperialismEmpire and Imperialism

Empire: Territorial or Non-Annexationist?Empire: Territorial or Non-Annexationist? Empire or Hegemony?Empire or Hegemony? Economic? Political? Cultural?Economic? Political? Cultural? ““Imperialism” a newly-coined word for Lord Imperialism” a newly-coined word for Lord

Carnarvon in 1878Carnarvon in 1878

Imperialism According to Imperialism According to J.A. HobsonJ.A. Hobson

““It is the debasement of…genuine nationalism, It is the debasement of…genuine nationalism, by attempts to overflow its natural banks and by attempts to overflow its natural banks and absorb the near or distant territory of reluctant absorb the near or distant territory of reluctant and unassimilable peoples, that marks the and unassimilable peoples, that marks the passage from nationalism to a spurious passage from nationalism to a spurious colonialism on the one hand, and Imperialism on colonialism on the one hand, and Imperialism on the other.”the other.”

Imperialism According to Imperialism According to Karl KautskyKarl Kautsky

““Imperialism is a product of a highly developed Imperialism is a product of a highly developed industrial capitalism. It consists in the striving of industrial capitalism. It consists in the striving of every industrial capitalist nation to bring under every industrial capitalist nation to bring under its control and to annex increasingly big its control and to annex increasingly big agrarianagrarian regions irrespective of what nations inhabit those regions irrespective of what nations inhabit those regions.”regions.”

Lenin’s Essential Features of ImperialismLenin’s Essential Features of Imperialism

Concentration of production and capital leading to Concentration of production and capital leading to economic monopolieseconomic monopolies

Bank capital merges with industrial capital, leading to Bank capital merges with industrial capital, leading to a “financial oligarchy”a “financial oligarchy”

Export of capital, as opposed to commoditiesExport of capital, as opposed to commodities Formation of international capitalist monopolies Formation of international capitalist monopolies

sharing the world amongst themselvessharing the world amongst themselves Territorial division of the world among the greatest Territorial division of the world among the greatest

capitalistic powerscapitalistic powers

Twenty-First Century Empire?Twenty-First Century Empire?

What is the relationship between multinational What is the relationship between multinational and transnational industrial and financial and transnational industrial and financial corporations and Empire?corporations and Empire?

Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, Empire Empire (Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000)(Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2000)

““Empire” in the twenty-first century = a Empire” in the twenty-first century = a “globalized biopolitical machine” (pg. 40)“globalized biopolitical machine” (pg. 40)

““Empire establishes no territorial center of power Empire establishes no territorial center of power and does not rely on fixed boundaries or barriers. and does not rely on fixed boundaries or barriers. It is a It is a decentralizeddecentralized and and deterritorializingdeterritorializing apparatus of rule that progressively incorporates apparatus of rule that progressively incorporates the entire global realm within its open, expanding the entire global realm within its open, expanding frontiers….frontiers….The United States does not, and indeed The United States does not, and indeed no nation-state can today, form the center of an no nation-state can today, form the center of an imperialist project.imperialist project. Imperialism is over. No nation Imperialism is over. No nation will be world leader in the way modern European will be world leader in the way modern European nations were.” (pp. xii, xiv)nations were.” (pp. xii, xiv)

Imperialism According to Imperialism According to J.A. SchumpeterJ.A. Schumpeter

““This…is our definition: imperialism is This…is our definition: imperialism is the objectless disposition on the part of a the objectless disposition on the part of a state to unlimited forcible expansion.”state to unlimited forcible expansion.”

Michael W. Doyle, Michael W. Doyle, EmpiresEmpires

Imperialism: “A relationship, formal or informal, Imperialism: “A relationship, formal or informal, in which one state controls the effective in which one state controls the effective sovereignty of another political society. It can be sovereignty of another political society. It can be achieved by force, by political collaboration, by achieved by force, by political collaboration, by economic, social, or cultural dependence. economic, social, or cultural dependence. Imperialism is simply the process or policy of Imperialism is simply the process or policy of establishing or maintaining an empire.” (pg. 45)establishing or maintaining an empire.” (pg. 45)

Ways of Studying Imperial Ways of Studying Imperial ExpansionExpansion

MetrocentricMetrocentric PericentricPericentric SystemicSystemic

Moses Finley’s Typology of ImperialismMoses Finley’s Typology of Imperialism

Finley’s Typology of State Power exercised Finley’s Typology of State Power exercised over other states:over other states: 1. Restriction of freedom of action in 1. Restriction of freedom of action in

interstate relationsinterstate relations 2. Political/judicial/administrative 2. Political/judicial/administrative

interference in internal affairsinterference in internal affairs 3. Compulsory military/naval service3. Compulsory military/naval service 4. Payment of some form of tribute4. Payment of some form of tribute 5. Confiscation of land of other states5. Confiscation of land of other states 6. Various forms of economic 6. Various forms of economic

exploitation/subordination exploitation/subordination