Carnegie and the Problem of Empire

The growth of the American empire, like that of all empires, has been a slow and painful process. It goes on today, albeit at a slower pace than formerly, but the dilemmas and contradictions remain as strong as ever. While Senator Fulbright conjures up visions of disastrous Athenian expeditions to Sicily, American capital and engineers open up vast ore bodies in Australia; at NASA tracking-stations throughout the world, technicians listen for the signals of our satellites overhead, and Americans fall on the field of battle in Vietnam, Korea, Uruguay, and Jordan.

Andrew Carnegie epitomized the reason for empire—and attacked it bitterly. His like is not around today. Cyrus Eaton is only a poor substitute for a man who built a billion dollar fiefdom of iron and steel, sent his products all over the globe—and offered President McKinley $20 million to give the Philippines their indepen-

JB

About the Author

James Burnham

The growth of the American empire, like that of all empires, has been a slow and painful process. It goes on today, albeit at a slower pace than formerly, but the dilemmas and contradictions remain as strong as ever. While Senator Fulbright conjures up visions of disastrous Athenian expeditions to Sicily, American capital and engineers open up vast ore bodies in Australia; at NASA tracking-stations throughout the world, technicians listen for the signals of our satellites overhead, and Americans fall on the field of battle in Vietnam, Korea, Uruguay, and Jordan.

Andrew Carnegie epitomized the reason for empire—and attacked it bitterly. His like is not around today. Cyrus Eaton is only a poor substitute for a man who built a billion dollar fiefdom of iron and steel, sent his products all over the globe—and offered President McKinley $20 million to give the Philippines their indepen-