Super-imperialism

Super - imperialism is a - ambiguous - Marxist term. This refers to either the hegemony of imperialist power over their weaker rivals, who then represent sub- imperialism, or a summary Supra - structure above a row in principle equal imperialist powers. - The last, older meaning has become rare, but still to be found in the English-speaking world.

Term origin

The word super-imperialism - as a super- imperialism - the first time in November 1914 detected as an (incorrect ) translation of the newly arrived German concept of ultra - imperialism into English. William E. Bohn, the translator of Karl Kautsky's essay, Imperialism ', apparently believed the terms cartel and ultra - imperialism of the readers of the American magazine, International socialist review' not to expect. Bohn was faced with two problems: cartels in the USA were much less well known than the group- like, tightly organized trusts - and ultra meant in English as much as exaggerated, extremist. He therefore rewrote Kautsky thoughts with phenomena and concepts that American readers were familiar with trusts, the participating companies, but ultimately lost their independence in their tight command structures, and with great - what kind of also ultra might mean - but in the context of trusts rather an organizational Supra structure of the imperialist powers in the sense of a common world government implied. Bohn falsified extent Kautsky not insignificant.

Recent Term Meaning

With the revival of imperialism theoretical discussions in the 1970s, the term super- imperialism came resp. super- imperialism again in a changed content blank. He served now to describe the dominance of the U.S. superpower in a system of imperialism, in which the other imperialist powers are thus second-rate reset in their ways and. At the same time the German term ultra-imperialism was now also in the English-speaking world with ultra - imperialism translated and used to denote a more equal inter - imperialist cooperation.