The Forging of the American Empire From the Revolution to Vietnam: A History of U.S. Imperialism. With a new foreword by Howard Zinn

From Mexico to Vietnam, from Nicaragua to Lebanon, and more recently to Kosovo, East Timor and Iraq, the United States has intervened in the affairs of other nations. Yet American leaders continue to promote the myth that America is benevolent and peace-loving, and involves itself in conflicts only to defend the rights of others; excesses and cruelties, though sometimes admitted, usually are regarded as momentary aberrations. This is a comprehensive history of American imperialism. Author Sidney Lens shows how the US, from the time it gained its own independence, has used every available means - political, economic and military - to dominate other nations. Lens presents a powerful argument to prove that imperialism is an inevitable consequence of the US economic system. Surveying the pressures, external and internal, on the United States today, he concludes that like any other empire, the reign of the US will end - and he examines how this time of reckoning may come about.
From Mexico to Vietnam, from Nicaragua to Lebanon, and more recently to Kosovo, East Timor and now Iraq, the United States has intervened in the affairs of other nations. Yet American leaders continue to promote the myth that America is benevolent and peace loving, and involve it in conflicts only to defend the rights of others; excesses and cruelties, though sometimes admitted, usually are regarded as momentary aberrations.

This classic book is the first truly comprehensive history of American imperialism. Now fully updated, and featuring a new introduction by Howard Zinn, it is a must-read for all students and scholars of American history.

Renowned author Sidney Lens shows how the United States, from the time it gained its own independence, has used every available means -- political, economic, and military -- to dominate other nations.

Lens presents a powerful argument, meticulously pieced together from a huge array of sources, to prove that imperialism is an inevitable consequence of the U.S. economic system. Surveying the pressures, external and internal, on the United States today, he concludes that like any other empire, the reign of the U.S. will end -- and he examines how this time of reckoning may come about. 'The Forging of the American Empire' was originally published by Apollo Editions in 1974.