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J. A. Hobson (18581940) was an English economist and early socialist, whose writings on capitalism and industrialism influenced Lenin and Trotsky, and were highly regarded by John Maynard Keynes. Imperialism, published in 1902, is considered his most important work. Employed as a war correspondent by the Manchester Guardian to report on the Second Boer War, he became convinced that imperial expansion was driven by the desire to find new markets and investment opportunities, resulting in capitalistic exploitation of the colonies. He argued that imperial policies were a fundamental cause of international conflict, as greed led to aggression and militarism. While modern critics have seen weaknesses in his arguments, such as his failure to examine the development of the British Empire out of early private trading enterprises, Hobson was a very influential and prolific writer and social theorist, who helped shape British welfare policy in the twentieth century

Cover -- Contents -- List of Tables -- Foreword -- Acknowledgements -- 1 Introduction - Imperialism: What's in a Name? -- Empire and Imperialism: Histories and Definitions -- Rethinking Imperialism: a Brief Summary -- 2 Early Capitalism and Mercantile Imperialism -- The Origins Debate: Core, Periphery and Global History -- The New Global History: a Critique -- Conclusion: Imperialism and Early Capitalist Development -- 3 Liberal Imperialism and Capitalist Expansion -- Classical Political Economy and the Critique of Empire -- Liberalism and the Case for Empire -- Free Trade Imperialism -- Conclusion: Advanced or Backward British Imperialism? -- 4 Classical Imperialism, 1882-1945 -- Classical Theories of Imperialism -- Liberal Imperialism Revisited -- Assessing Classical and Liberal Theories of Imperialism -- Conclusion -- 5 The Cold War, Post-War Boom and New Theories of Imperialism -- The US State and the Post-War Liberal International Order -- The Cold War, Military Imperialism and the Third World -- Theories of Imperialism after 1945 -- Conclusion: Imperialism and International Relations, 1945-1989 -- 6 Neo-liberalism, Globalization and Geo-Politics in the Post-Cold War World -- From Bretton Woods to Neo-Liberalism -- Theorizing Restructuring, Hegemony and Globalization -- State Theory Revisited -- Post-Cold War Geo-Politics: Lenin and Kautsky Revisited -- Conclusion -- 7 The Political Economy of Neo-Liberal Imperialism -- The Globalization of Production: Capitalist Diffusion at Last? -- The Reality of Global Uneven Development -- Imperialism, Neo-Liberalism and Uneven and Combined Development -- Conclusion -- 8 Liberalism and 'Humanitarian Imperialism' -- The Rise of the Discourse of Humanitarian Intervention -- The Case against Liberal Imperialism -- Conclusion.

What was British imperialism and was it an important element of modern globalization? Were economic, political or military factors paramount in imperial expansion? Do post-colonial theories assist or mislead historians? How have histories of imperialism changed, and are current analyses satisfactory? Robert Johnson's invaluable guide offers a succint, easy-to-follow introduction to the key issues and historiography of British imperialism from its origins to the conversion to the Commonwealth. British Imperialism - provides concise introductions to key questions and debates - takes a question-based approach to analysis of the material - offers an assessment of the significance of economic, military and political factors in imperial expansion and decolonization - presents critical appraisals of the most recent controversies including neo-colonialism, cultural imperialism, post-colonial theory, and gender and imperialism - includes a useful guide to further reading Using vivid examples, Johnson clearly explains the nature of British imperialism and enables the reader to understand the causes, course and immediate consequences of the British-colonial encounter on a world-wide scale. His book is an essential starting point for all those new to the subject and a helpful introduction to more recent debates

"How does control of media resources serve political and economic ends? What is the impact of media concentration and monopoly in the era of technology convergence, with not just traditional and 'new' media but also consumer electronics, telephony and computing industries? Revisiting the classic concept of media imperialism, Oliver Boyd-Barrett presents a thorough retake for the 21st century, arguing for the need to understand media and empires and how structures of power and control continue to regulate our access to and consumption of the media. It's no longer just Disney and Dallas--it's also now Alibaba, Apple, Facebook, Google, Samsung and Huawei. Examining the interplay between communications industries and the hierarchies and networks of political, corporate and plutocratic power in a globalized world, the book explains: the historical context of the relationship between media and imperialism; contestation and collaboration among new media empires; the passion for social justice that inspired the original theories of media and cultural imperialism, and how it has been embraced by a new generation. Digging deeply into the global landscape and emerging media markets to explore how media power works across transnational boundaries, this book gives a clear and sophisticated argument for why media imperialism still matters."--Publisher description

"Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has emerged as the hegemonic superpower with enormous military might and a strong but faltering economy. This unparalleled supremacy has been accompanied by an aggressive interventionist foreign policy which has been condemned by many as imperialist. Imperialism and Resistance offers a radical critique of this new imperialism of the US and its allies, including Britain." "The author explains how the US imperial turn has been underpinned by a number of significant factors such as US military spending, American economic power and the politics of oil. He also shows the terrible consequences of these policies in terms of deepening global inequality and injustice. In the final sections of the book, the author explicitly addresses the thorny question of how best to resist the new imperialism, drawing upon his own experience as an activist in the anti-globalisation and anti-war movements."--Jacket.

Offers a critique of the economic and military imperialism of the US and its allies in the 21st century. Inspired by the anti-globalization and anti-war movements, this work provides an introduction to the changes in global politics since the dominance of the American Empire with the end of the Cold War and is useful for activists and students