Mark Twain and the Onset of the Imperialist Period

"Mark Twain and the Onset of the Imperialist Period"

The article "Mark Twain and the Onset of the Imperialist Period" published by R. Titta in The Internationalist is one of many such articles by Mark Twain to portray what was happening in the world during the time of imperialism when he, Mark Twain, sought to show his stance of anti-imperialist. The main idea of this article by Mark Twain between the late 19th Century and early 20th Century was to make visible the imperialistic stance the Americans and Europeans mighty powers were taking because they knew they had the military capabilities to conquer any place they wanted.
Mark Twain presented in this article, events that showed to what extent mighty nations would go to conquer another and the atrocities that come with such conquest. The example given here was the case of the Spanish - American war of 1898 where Spain immediately acquiesced to the demands of the Americans but the Americans still declared war and defeated the Spaniards. After this, the Americans went on to conquer the Philippines. Some the scientists had even supposed the human race comprised of many "races" that "could be ranked in hierarchy based on intelligence and culture" of which the white race was at the top and as such should be dominant.
This article also elaborates on the stance of many anti-imperialism sentiments throughout the American populace. A Liberal Political organization called the "Anti-Imperialist League" was formed from 1898 to 1920 and elected Mark Twain as its vice-president in 1901. This organization was originally formed to oppose the seizure of Spain's empire. It became a political organization that couldn't agree amongst themselves because of the members wanted compromise with imperialism while others like Mark Twain would not.
Events that shaped the world dating back to the end of the 19th century and the start of the 20th century in a way have determined to course of our history today. Many of the ills committed by mighty nations were done, in my view, out of fear of the other countries rising out of subjugation. The mighty nations of Britain and America sought cheap (perhaps free) labor to help with the industrialization that was taking place. In so doing, they resorted to conquering helpless nations and anyone that stood in their way of achieving their goals.