The Question of Imperialism: The Political Economy of Dominance and Dependence

277 Pages·1973·23.256 MB·English

by  Benjamin J. Cohen (auth.)

The Question of Imperialism
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY
OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
SERIES
Edited by Benjamin J. Cohen
POWER AND WEALTH
The Political Economy of International Power
by Klaus Knorr
THE CHARITY OF NATIONS
The Political Economy of Foreign Aid
by David Wall
THE QUESTION OF IMPERIALISM
The Political Economy of Dominance and Dependence
by Beniamin J. Cohen
FORTHCOMING •
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF
ECONOMIC GROWTH AND INTERNATIONAL CHANGE
by Robert G. Gilpin
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF
INTERNATIONAL COMMUNIST RELATIONS
by Franklyn D. Holzman
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INTERNATIONAL MONEY
by Edward L. Morse
THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE
• All book titles are tentative.
THE
qUESTION
OF
IMPERIALISM
The Political Economy oj
Dominance and Dependence
BENJAMIN J. COHEN
Palgrave Macmillan
For the memory of Aeneas
Maps on pages 24·--29 adapted
from © Rand McNally & Co., R.L. 73Y61
ISBN 978-1-349-01353-1 ISBN 978-1-349-01351-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-349-01351-7
© 1973 by Basic Books, Inc.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 1973 978-0-333-13232-6
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without permission.
First published 1974 by
THE MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
London and Basingstoke
Associated companies in New York Dublin Melboutne
Johannesburg and Madras
SBN 333 13232 7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A number of my colleagues gave me the benefit of their com
ments and criticisms as I was writing this book. I am deeply
grateful to them all. I especially wish to thank: Professor Robert
G. Gilpin of Princeton University, Professor Alan K. Henrikson of
the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Mr. John R. Karlik
of the Joint Economic Committee of the Congress, Professor
Peter B. Kenen of Princeton University, Professor Charles P.
Kindleberger of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Pro
fessor James R. Kurth of Harvard University, Mr. Anthony M.
Lanyi of the International Monetary Fund, Professor Arthur
MacEwan of Harvard University, Mr. Harry Magdoff of Monthly
Review, Professor Joseph S. Nye of Harvard University, Mr.
Keith Pavitt of Sussex University (England), and Mr. Ernest H.
Preeg of the United States Department of State. None of them,
of course, bear responsibility for any errors of fact or logic that
may remain in this book. I alone am accountable for the sub
stance of the study as it now stands.
1973 B.J.C.
CONTENTS
Introduction 3
I The Meaning of Imperialism 9
II Classical Imperialism 19
III The Transition to Modem Imperialism 83
IV The View from the Metropolis 99
V The View from the Periphery 145
VI Dependence and Exploitation 189
VII Toward a General Theory of Imperialism 229
Selected Bibliography 259
Index 265
The Question of Imperialism
INTRODUCTION
This book is about the relations between rich and poor countries.
Specifically, it is about the problem of how to explain the rela
tions between rich and poor countries. The focus is on one par
ticular word which, according to many, explains it all
imperialism.
In recent years as a teacher of international economics, I have
found that many of my students have been becoming increas
ingly reluctant to accept at face value the traditional analysis
which I myself learned just a few years ago. Not for this
newer generation the hoary tenets of capitalism. Not for them
the conventional wisdom of comparative advantage and free
trade, derived from the writings of Adam Smith and David
Ricardo, John Stuart Mill and John Maynard Keynes. What they
wanted was a newer, more unconventional wisdom distilled
from the likes of Marx, Lenin, and Mao Tse-tung. What they
wanted was a political economy of international economics, not
mere technical jargon or dry supply and demand curves. They
demanded: What about the role of politics in international eco
nomics? What about the part that power plays in the relations
3
4 The Question of Imperialism
between the rich and the poor? What about dominance, depen
dence, and exploitation? In short, what about imperialism?
I believe these are legitimate questions. Certainly these issues
are rarely, if ever, treated satisfactorily in the conventional litera
ture of international economics. In my opinion, they ought to be
treated systematically and comprehensively. Politics does have a
role in international economics, after all. Power does play a part
in the relations between the rich and the poor. There is domi
nance, dependence, and exploitation. There is imperialism. If
one is really interested in understanding what international eco
nomics is all about, then one must also try to understand what
imperialism is all about.
That is the objective of this book-to understand what im
perialism is all about. Necessarily, this is an exercise in politi
cal economy. To the extent possible, the economics and politics
of relations between rich and poor countries will be combined
and integrated within a single analytical framework. Also, to the
extent possible, all important aspects of the problem will be in
cluded for consideration-conflicts of interest as well as alloca
tion of resources, income and welfare as well as struggles for
power. The immediate focus of the analysis will be on connec
tions of trade, investment, and foreign aid. The ultimate purpose
of the analysis will be, if humanly possible, to explain the mean
ing and implications of these connections. A proper prescrip
tion for any of the ills of the world must necessarily begin with
proper diagnosis.
Before starting, I should perhaps make my own ideological
position clear. I would not describe myself as either a marxist
or a radical; neither would I describe myself as a conservative or
a reactionary. Intellectually, I fall between the extremes, some
what more to the left than to the right of center. While I am not
particularly enamored of capitalism, I would still rather reform
it than overthrow it. More important, I believe that capitalism
is capable of being reformed. This is what distinguishes my atli-