American Imperialism Analysis

Elements of self-interest primarily overshadow considerations of morality and justice. “Purely moral considerations play no part at all in Thucydides judgement of Athenian Imperialism” , is questionable as he cautiously advocates its ability to act as an effective constraint when individuals consider the utility of their actions. Within society there is a foundational commitment to conventions of justice, but within the presence of political and social upheaval such restraints dissolve meaning humans revert back to their natural ambitions of self-help. Therefore ethical compulsions are merely temporary. Doyle supports this by suggesting morals are subordinate as the needs of security and personal gain take superiority. Although humans are

Though temporary, they are necessary to prevent states encountering absolute destruction. Thucydides highlights how democratic conventions can be easily overthrown because of the uncertainty of circumstances “begin the process of repealing those general laws of humanity which are there to give a hope of salvation to all who are in distress”. What made Athens superior was the establishment and foundational respect for the law, loyalty and piety, however the frailty of such integrity was exposed by unforeseen upheaval. “Starve a human being and you will discover just what his true motivations are” highlights how powerful the forces of passion and ambition that overshadow motivations of civilisation. Thucydides suggests such social conventions can only temporarily subdue our needs to satisfy our self-interests. Arguably we have an inherent evil that the stasis exposes and therefore retaining order is fragile. The plague (427 B.C) that struck in the second year of the Peloponnesian war saw the abandonment of social restraints such as piety; the collapse of law and order and consequently led to the desertion of a civil society. It is a significant example in highlighting our inability to maintain and exercise self-control. As Neumann argues, such unexpected events gave “free rein to their most egoistic cravings”. Such destructiveness therefore unearthed man’s

Thucydides exhibits this through the characterization of Pericles, who governed in a way that satisfied all because he was not overcome by personal ambition and conducted his affairs with an element of caution and patience. As a leader, he provided the necessary guidance for Athenians to retain a civilised society through stimulating emotions that counter-acted their natural compulsions. However, his predecessors following his death in 429 B.C compounded the dangers of human nature as they themselves were driven by notions of personal gain and lacked conformity, which incapacitated their judgement. Both Nicias and Alcibiades are characterized as lacking reason, which meant the link between ethical considerations and political society became disconnected resulting in an oligarchy. This pattern can be adopted in the modern sphere when evaluating the breakdown of rationality and the defective judgements of President Nixon. Within his foreign policies he compromised diplomacy to succeed in accomplishing his own egoistic gains, which led to the defeat and the collapse of United State’s control within Southeast Asia. It again reaffirms the accuracy of the occurrence of universal patterns that are “fixed, immutable and