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I don't think anything is wrong with being an Empire or bearing that label. Every one in history has shown that all Empire's decline and eventually cease to be an one. The people do not though..
The term Imperialist however is a little different imo of being an Empire. Once a nation has become an Empire their is the hope that it can be a benevolent one and not such as history has given us in the past.
My definition (or what i have always interpreted 'Imperialist' as), is that Imperialist means one nation, people, civ, seeks out to vassalize other nations, peoples, civs. Assert their dominance of them and plunder their resources. It is almost an ideaology pre to the Empire part of it to me. A nation, people, civ that seeks out more land, power, resources, income, growth has Imperialist designs.
The question then regards why does Empire have a negative connotation?
That depends on the Empire.
Do they retain their dominance:
..through the Sword?
..through God?
..through the Common Good of the People?
..through Drugs and Mind Control?
..through Chance. By sheer chance Empires rise and fall and their is never any puppeteer at the helm.. It all comes down to luck.
Have you ever heard of a benevolent Empire? After all i'm sure that every one of them to date has said that they were benevolent...
[ 01-12-2003, 09:53 PM: Message edited by: Djinn Raffo ]
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