Reassessing Hegemony

Abstract

This is an interesting and generally well written work of historical interpretation based on a wide range of secondary and a smattering of primary sources. Unsurprisingly then, the book does not so much reveal anything original in terms of historical narrative, but claims to provide an interpretation of history to give it new meaning. And that meaning is premised on notions of hegemony and the peaceful transition from British to American hegemony. “The transition from Britain to America was peaceful because at that crucial time, America became an empire and Britain became a democracy. As a result, both states came to view themselves as akin to each other and different from others” (2). The author is to be commended for the wide-ranging scope of her work and she delivers her interpretation and arrives at the above conclusion by analysis of nine successive snapshots, or “inflection points” chosen because they illustrate a rising America’s attempts to change rules governing international practice established by the British hegemon (7). These snapshots are: the Monroe Doctrine; The Oregon Boundary Dispute; Recognizing the Confederacy; Defining Themselves; The Venezuelan Debt Crisis; The War with Spain; World War I; The Washington Naval Treaties; and World War II. As the chapters unfold a rather familiar story unfolds of episodes of occasional British collusion, but more often diplomatic pressures and unilateral actions, gradually giving way to more circumspect policies, adoption of arbitration, and gradual acknowledgement of American de facto power. The episodes are well presented and the argument often seems persuasive. In addition, in the course of these case studies a number of important issues are raised for further debate. Particularly interesting to this reader are: first, the claim that the United States was a democratic but illiberal state in the nineteenth century compared with a liberal but undemocratic Britain; secondly, the idea that domestic policy is a major determinant of foreign policy and that this explains much about the coming together of Britain and the United States; and thirdly, the role of public opinion and assessments of its potency by government in both countries. Some of the examples of public opinion are well known—working class support for the Union in the U.S. Civil War—but others have not received the scholarly attention they might warrant. For example, how mutual public perceptions contributed to a growing sense of similarity and shared interests and aspirations, which either positively directed government actions or restrained them.