評論
打印
Up until the turn of the 20th century the world still
直到20世紀初，世界上依舊
boasted real live emperors such as
存在真正意義上的皇帝
Tsar Nicholas the 2nd of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm
比如俄羅斯的尼古拉斯二世，德國的
of Germany and Hirohito of Japan.
威廉皇帝以及日本的裕仁天皇
But even after these emperors passed from the scene
但是即便后來這些皇帝都成為了歷史
empires remained. The German Russian and
帝國卻保存了下來，由于一戰
Ottoman empires all disintegrated thanks to the
德國，俄羅斯以及
First World War of 1914 to 1918. The German Empire
奧特曼帝國都分崩離析，但德意志帝國
came back temporarily as Adolph Hitler's 3rd Riche,
在二戰中以希特勒的第三帝國的形式
1939 to 1945, and the Russian Empire reemerged as
重新出現，而從1917年到1991年
the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991.
俄國也以蘇聯的形式重新出現
The Japanese, French, Dutch and for the most part
而日本，法國，荷蘭
the British Empires disintegrated after
以及大英帝國在二戰后
the Second World War from 1939 to 1945.
都已宣告解體
In the wake of the Second World War the world became
二戰之后，世界被劃分為兩個陣營
divided into two blocks or sides or teams or cliques
或者兩個對立方，或者說
or factions or whatever. One, the United States and
兩個利益集團，一方是
its allies also known as the West, the western block,
美國及其聯盟組成的西方陣營
NATO or the bourgeois imperialist war mongers.
也就是北約或者資產階級帝國主義者
Number 2, the Soviet Union and its allies sometimes
另一方是蘇聯及其同盟
including Red China but usually not, also known as
其中有時包括新中國，但大多時候不包括
the east or the Warsaw Pact or the eastern block or as
它們組成了華約，或者東方陣營
the godless commi imperialists.
有時也被稱作無信仰的共產帝國主義者
Notice that the word imperialist is not really a term
我們要注意 "帝國主義者"并不是
of endearment here. By the 20th century the term
一個褒義詞，到20世紀 "帝國"一詞
empire had become a synonym for a system designed
所代表的就是一個這樣的體系，為了
to oppress poor subject peoples and nations for the
莫斯科，倫敦，巴黎東京甚至華盛頓的
benefit of a rich, war mongering elite in Moscow,
鼓吹戰爭的富有的精英們的利益
London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or even Washington DC.
而對窮困的人民和國家進行壓迫
Peace makers and imperialists, of course the folks in
和平提倡者和帝國主義者，盡管
Moscow, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin and
歷史上，莫斯科，倫敦，巴黎，東京
Washington DC have historically tended to see it
柏林和華盛頓的人們并不是這樣看
otherwise. One of the strongest arguments for
這個問題的，關于保留帝國的一個
acquiring and maintaining an empire has been the
最重要的論點就是，帝國的存在
need to maintain world peace. The Roman principate
有利于維護世界和平，奧古斯都，凱撒
devised by Augustus Caesar in the days of Christ set
創立的帝國君主政體使地中海沿岸在
a precedent by maintaining peace in the Mediterranean
公元前31年到公元235年間的250年中
world for more than 250 years, from 31BC to 235AD.
一直保持和平，這是絕無僅有的
This peace is called the so called Pax Romana,
這一時期被稱作羅馬帝國統治下的和平時期
Roman Peace, or even Pax Augustana,
或者是奧古斯都統治下的和平時期
Augustus' Peace. Some of Augustus' later successors
奧古斯都后來的一些繼承者
even worked on the notion that they, the emperors,
甚至認為作為皇帝
had been put on earth to serve the inhabitants of the
自己就是為羅馬帝國的萬物安康而生
emperium romanum, indeed the interests of the whole
或者說為了全人類的利益而生
human race. Other successors were not as high minded;
另外一些繼承者則沒有那么志向高遠
Marcus Aralias' son and successor, Commodus,
馬可，奧勒利烏斯的繼承者康茂德
180 to 192AD, among other fascinating things
于公元180-192年任羅馬帝國皇帝
officially decreed that he was Hercules.
他公開稱自己是大力神赫丘利轉世
All in all the Pax Romana had been a good thing
一言以蔽之，羅馬帝國統治下的和平時期
for western civilization so various attempts were
對西方文明是有利的，因此幾個世紀以來
made to replicate it, do it over again,
人們無數次嘗試去重塑
bring it back, for centuries.
或者重現這一時期
Yet as the 19th century merged into the 20th century
但是送走19世紀，迎來20世紀
we find empire meaning something completely
我們發現"帝國"的意義完全改變了
different. The great powers of the day including
當時的大國，包括英國
Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Russia,
法國，西班牙，德國，俄羅斯和
the United States, were all trying to grab onto and
美國，都在瘋狂掠奪殖民地
hang onto and exploit financially as much territory
并對這些區域的人們進行經濟上的剝削
as they could get. These powers made a pretense of
這些大國以提高新領地的文明程度
civilizing their new territories but for the most part
為借口，實際上在大多數情況下
these nations grab new territory
他們掠奪的原因僅僅是
because they could and it was there.
它們有能力這樣做。
