Examples Of Hegemony

Hegemony, a process by which the dominant power, known as the hegemon, in a personal, political, economic, or social relationship retains its dominance by absorbing the resistance or opposition. The people or groups standing against it and reshaping that resistance and opposition into something that sustains the hegemon’s dominant power. This process became popular after World War II. An example of a group in which opposed a dominant power were the America First Committee. Another example was after World War II when the United States became the hegemon of the international economy.
The America First Committee’s primary objective was to keep the United States out of the European war; they were an isolationist committee. Their principles stated: our first duty is to keep America out of war, we must keep our naval convoys and merchant vessels on this side of the Atlantic, we must build a defense so strong that no foreign nation can invade, and lastly, we should feed and clothe the suffering and needy people of England. Communists, Nazis, and fascists were declared ineligible for membership. The three most important groups pressing the United States into war were the British, the Jews, and Roosevelt Administration. The fall of this committee
helped the dominant power, the United States government, on how there weren’t any major barriers on going to war. It didn’t turn out the way they had hoped so since Roosevelt wanted to go to war and would do it at any reason.
After World War II, The United States seemed to be the hegemon of the entire nation, now that it had the bomb.
It emerged from that war as the dominant economic, political, and technological power. The United States finished the war with the greatest naval command of battle ever seen. On December 7th, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor causing thousands of Americans to die. This authorized Roosevelt to send the atom bomb to Japan. The purpose for the United States to use the bomb was to intimidate all the other nations that the United States was also as powerful as them. After the United States bombed Japan, the Japanese had to surrender. Because of this act, the hegemon, the United States gained more power than it already
had.
Both groups didn’t have enough resources to fight back the dominant power. America First Committee didn’t have enough resources to really push people into joining this committee and there would’ve been a chance for the United States to not enter war. To publicize non-interventionist views, the committee used newspaper advertising, pamphlets, and radio addresses, but it wasn’t enough to make more Americans to join. The Japanese forces didn’t have the right weaponry to fight back the American soldiers in which they had to unconditionally surrender. They were both different in which America First Committee was at a national level in the United States while the bombing of Japan was at an international level. The United States gained more power by the fall of the America First Committee and was seen only American citizens. On the other hand, the United States gained more power through the surrender of Japan and was seen by all civilians throughout the world.
In conclusion, hegemony has been seen throughout American history, but has been most noticeable after the United States ended World War II. The America First Committee was an isolationist organization that organized to keep the United States out of any European war. The United States government is the hegemon, while the America First Committee is what is being oppressed. Towards the end of World War II, after Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States striked back and used an atom bomb towards Japan and eventually cause the Japanese to unconditionally surrender. In this case, the United States is the hegemon while Japan is what is being oppressed.