United States of Hegemony

Henry Luce, the American magazine magnate, imagined the United States achieving world hegemony. In 1941, he declared that the twentieth century would be the “American century”.

I find this arrogance offensive. It engenders an image of a school bully striding into a playground and announcing that he owns the place.

I know Yank-bashing is the trend in some circles. It’s a big target, and has done little to improve its image over the years. However, until recently I have resisted the wave of derision aimed at what certain factions in Iran have called The Great Satan. After all; they’ve given us a lot of good things: Hollywood movies; Richard Pryor; McDonald’s; Coca-cola; Pizza Hut; Motown; I could go on all day – they have made many positive contributions to the world.

But...they’ve also done a shitload of damage. They’ve manipulated, bullied, threatened and destroyed in a seemingly perpetual quest for world domination. They’ve also tried to take credit for things they had no right to.

The biggest of these is their chest-beating over the Second World War. How many times have we Brits been told by Americans, ‘If it wasn’t for us you’d all be speaking German’?

Well, the truth is that it’s Russia we should be thanking for bringing down the industrial killing machine that was Nazi Germany. It was they who halted their eastward march and then pushed them back. It was they who began to break down Germany’s military might.

Russia was crying out for the US and allied forces to attack Germany from the west and force them to fight a war on two fronts. In typical fashion, the US made noises but failed to act. In 1941, President Roosevelt promised to aid Russia with raw materials, as well as financially. The New York Times reported that US shipments fell “far, far short” of what they promised. In fact, they delivered less than half.

Following the attack on Pearl Harbour, the US finally entered the war which had already been raging for more than two years. As 1941 rolled on to 1942 the Russians continued their plea to the Allies to establish a second front in the west. In July 1942 there was still plenty of American talk with no action to back it up. The Russians continued the fight with little help from those who would later take credit for winning the war. In a letter to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, President Roosevelt admitted that “the Russians are killing more Germans and destroying more equipment than you and I put together.”

Despite promises; public support and even rallies calling for the second front, British and US forces went off to North Africa, leaving Russia to carry on doing most of the work in vanquishing Hitler’s armies. By the time Churchill and Roosevelt met in Casablanca in January 1943, Russia had turned the tide and was driving the Germans back west.

Although at great cost, the Red Army marched forward, pushing the Germans back so that by the time the second front was finally established with the Normandy landings beginning 6^th June 1944 (a year and a half later than promised) Russia already occupied much of Central Europe, and the Germans were nothing like as strong as they were before. The war in Europe ended less than a year later, and America took the credit and snatched all the glory. However, that’s like somebody getting into the ring with Floyd Mayweather and beating him to the point where he can barely defend himself, and then I go in and knock him down and call myself world champion.

So, America, it’s not thanks to you that I don’t speak German. It’s actually thanks to Russia. So, spasibo, and auf wiedersehen.