Episode Recording -- "Imperialism and Capital an exploration of the symbiotic relationship between imperialism and profit"

0:00-1:37: Point 1- Introduction to imperialism

Patrick Pajcic discusses the definition of imperialism. He also offers a historical

background to global imperialism. This background will stretch as far back to the Roman Empire

as it set a standard for empires to aspire to. Then European empires that arose in the fifteenth and

sixteenth centuries will be discussed because they discovered and most heavily influenced the

United States. The Ottoman Empire’s dominance of eastern trade routes and the eastern

Mediterranean incentivised European nations to explore alternative trade routes. This led

Europeans to the discovery of trade routes to Asia and the discovery of the Americas. These

discoveries helped European nations establish themselves as commercial trading powers. In the

nineteenth century European nations were cemented as global powers through their conquest.

The historical background will provide insight into the events that eventually led the United

States to become an imperial power.

1:37– 3:53 Point 2- Native American Removal/ Westward expansion

Patrick Pajcic finds that the profitability of Westward expansion drove westward

imperialism. America was out to manifest a destiny of exponential economic growth. America

did not compensate Chief Joseph and his tribe because there was no economic benefit. Josephsaid he “heard talk but nothing is done” (Joseph, 1). This occurred due to the fact there was no

profitability in Joseph and his people. There was profitability in the wiping out of Native

Americans non-native Americans. During Andrew Jackson’s presidency Native American

removal, “conveniently increased vast and valuable acreage for white settlers”(Hershberger, 17).

The removal of Native Americans is a microcosm of how profit motivated imperialism. Since

there was profitability in the removal of Native Americans, they were removed plain and simple.

3:53–6:53: Point 3 Global Imperial Shift That Took Place Under Theodore

Roosevelt

Patrick Pajcic observes that under Theodore Roosevelt the United States started to

become a global imperial power. Under the Roosevelt Corollary The United States embraced the

policy of the United States becoming an international policing power. This allowed the United

States to assert themselves in the “struggle for naval and commercial supremacy”(Roosevelt).

The United States did just what Roosevelt said they asserted themselves both militarily and

economically. The Panama Canal is a great example as the United States essentially held the

Panamanians hostage to get a great deal on the Panama Canal. The canal, “dramatically cut

transportation costs and produced significant savings for world com-merce. The lion's share of

these savings were captured by the United States because most of the ships passing through the

canal carried cargoes coming from or destined for the United States”(Maurer and Yu, 717).

Under Theodore Roosevelt not only did the United States increase its military power but its

economic output as well.●

6:53-10:01 Point 4 Modern Imperialism

Patrick Pajcic covers modern imperialism or the period of time from the Cold War era

through the Iraq War. Modern imperialism is the most revealing of the relationship between

imperialism and capital accumulation. Former President Sukarno of Indonesia somes this up very

well in his speech to the Bandung Conference saying, “I beg of you do not think of colonialism

only in the classic form which we of Indonesia, and our brothers in different parts of Asia and

Africa, knew. Colonialism has also its modern dress, in the form of economic control, intellectual

control, actual physical control by a small but alien community within a nation”(Sukarno). The

United States during the cold war fought proxy wars or attempted coups against nations they saw

as socialist. More recently, Iraq stopped accepting payments in dollars for its oil and demanded

payment in Euros instead (Doran, 71). Then the Iraq war conveniently occured three years later

because Iraq threatened the dollar’s status as the world’s de facto currency. The United States

will penetrate economic barriers to preserve its economic supremacy.

0:00-1:37: Point 1- Introduction to imperialism

Hello everyone, and welcome to my podcast entitled Imperialism and Capital, an exploration of

the symbiotic relationship between imperialism and profit. To start this section off, my first

section, Introduction to Imperialism, I'll give you a definition of imperialism from John A.

Hobson in his book, Imperialism, a Study, “Imperialism is the endeavor of the great controllers

of industry to broaden the channel for the flow of their surplus wealth by seeking foreign markets

and foreign investments to take off the goods and capital they cannot use at home”(Hobson,

60). And to start this background of imperialism, I will refer to Rome as they set really the

golden standard for all empires to follow. And then I'll bounce to the European Empires that

started in the 15th and 16th centuries because they really founded, they founded, they discovered

America and colonized America (Burbank,5) . Because of that, they had the most influence on

the United States. And they really created a playbook for the United States to become imperial

and take over North America as a continent, as they expanded by conquering indigenous peoplesand acquiring parts of other people's umpires, which those colonial forces did. And the United

States really just followed the playbook.

1:37– 3:53 Point 2- Native American Removal/ Westward expansion

To kick off my second section, Native American Removal and Westward Expansion, it is my

findings that profitability of westward expansion drove westward imperialism and manifest

destiny was really just an excuse for exponential economic growth. And a lot of this growth had

to do with Native American removal from their lands And to bring a quote in, it's Chief Joseph

saying, “I have heard talk and talk, but nothing is done. Good words do not last long unless they

amount to something. Words do not pay for my dead people. They do not pay formy country now

overrun by white men. They do not protect my father's grave. They do not pay for my

horses”(Joseph, 1). and This really just goes back to the point that there really was no

profitability for white people and the Native Americans. So they had them removed and they

took over their land, which was greatly profitable. And Andrew Jackson's Native

Americanremoval conveniently increased vast and valuable acreage for white settlers. even the

murdering of indigenous peoples was profitable for white people in various Western U. S.

territories and northern Mexican states, governing officials outsourced murder to scalp hunters

through land bounties and cash rewards (Farmer, 192).

And to top it all off, Frederick Jackson Turner put it really well in his, in one of his works calling

Native American land essentially “free land” (Turner). And that's how it really worked. I mean,

Native American land really just got developed and profit motivated the westward expansion at

all at the cost of Native Americans who were being profited off of.●

3:53–6:53: Point 3 Global Imperial Shift That Took Place Under Theodore

Roosevelt

To kick off this third section called Global Imperial Shift that took place under

TheodoreRoosevelt Roosevelt, under Teddy Roosevelt, the U. S. really started to become a

global imperial power. The Roosevelt Corollary embraced the policy of the U. S.becoming an

international policing power, which allowed the U. S. to assert themselves both militarily and

commercially. Militarily, an example would be the Philippines and the U. S. occupied the

Philippines for quite some time.

And even after some years of occupation, like the whole reason the U. S. their justification for

invading the Philippines was because they were uncivilized and law independent, a paper from

the Philippines after occupation said that evidence of civilization and self- governing capacity

poured off their pages, according to And that really, I mean, that was the whole point. I mean,

that was a lot of U. S. imperialism under Roosevelt. They would invade countries that they

deemed not civilized. then economically, the Panama Canal was really like, was one of the great

economic triumphs of Teddy Roosevelt, and that was accomplished through imperialism. The

canal “dramatically cut transportation costs and produced significant savings for world

commerce. And the lion's share of these savings were captured by the United States because

most of the ships passed through the canal carrying cargoes coming from or destined for the

United States.

not only did Teddy increase military power, but he also increased economic power. And this

really could be seen throughRudyard Kipling's poem, The White Man's Burden, which reallywell reflects Teddy Roosevelt and his administration.The poem says, take up the white man's

burden and patience to abide, to veil the threat of terror and check the show of pride by open

speech and simple and hundred times made plain to seek another's profit and work another's

game. And that's really just like imperial powers coming to really civilize other nations. But in

reality, they're really just profiting themselves.

6:53-10:01 Point 4 Modern Imperialism

In section four, we'll talk about modern imperialism and it covers the period of time from the

Cold War era through the Iraq War and former President Sukarno, I would say, puts modern

imperialism definitely frames it very well.

He says, I beg of you, do not think of colonialism only in the classic form, which we of

Indonesia and our brothers indifferent parts of Asia and Africa knew. Colonialism has also its

modern dress and the form of economic control,intellectual control control, actual physical

control by a small but alien community within a And during the time of theCold War, America

really embraced a policy of fighting proxy wars against the USSR and attempting coups against

regimes they deemed as And a lot of this, I feel, is motivated by the military industrial complex

and definitely what I Would say is motivated by profit, for sure. Now I'll play a clip from

Eisenhower's farewell address. The organization today bears little relation to that known of any

of my predecessors in peacetime or indeed by the fighting men of World War II Korea.

Until the latest of our world conflicts, the United States had no armaments industry. the clip was

a warning about the military industrial complex and it really has affected us as a society recently

or in the past 20 years. 2003, we invaded Iraq and that definitely still haunts political discoursetoday because the Iraq war really sacrificed public opinion in the government inorder to fulfill

United States geopolitical and capital interests. And in November of 2000, Iraq stopped paying

or stopped accepting payments in dollars for oil and demanded payments in euros. And this

threatened the dollar status as the world's reserve currency. And, of course, three years later, after

9- 11, Iraq gets invaded using the Bush Doctrine and labeling it asa preemptive strike.

00:09:47

And my argument is the United States will penetrate economic barriers in order to its economic

supremacy. Thank you forlistening. Please subscribe and visit my history site. I would very much

appreciate it. Thank you guys so much for and Ihope you learned something today.

0:00-1:37: Point 1- Introduction to imperialism

1:37– 3:53 Point 2- Native American Removal/ Westward expansion

3:53–6:53: Point 3 Global Imperial Shift That Took Place Under Theodore

Roosevelt

6:53-9:57 Point 4 Modern Imperialism

Outro 9:57-10:11