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of Spain]] The concept of world domination has long been a popular theme in both ), who have attempted to ''take over the world''. IDEOLOGIES ADVOCATING WORLD DOMINATION Religious ideologies advocating world domination Proselytising Religion s such as Islam and Christianity are Universalist , viewing it as their task to convert as many people as possible to their religion, without restrictions on national or ethnic origin. This ''spiritual'' domination (see, for example, Kingdom Of Heaven ) is usually by most people seen to be distinct from a ''temporal'' domination, but certain fringe groupings within these religions have an established goal of global Theocracy . Political ideologies advocating world domination Similarly, some devoted adherents of many different ideologies, such as Anarchism , Democracy , Communism (especially Trotskyism ), Nazism , Neoconservatism , Social Democracy , Liberalism or Libertarianism view their credo as the ideal form of societal organisation, and actively encourage its implementation throughout the world. The period of the Cold War in particular was seen as a period of intense ideological polarization across the globe, with supporters of the two rival camps expressing hope that their ideology would emerge triumphant over the other and become the pre-eminent form of government worldwide. Elements within the allied blocs led by the Soviet Union and the United States accused each other of having objectives of global domination. After the end of the Cold War, and the Soviet Union's collapse, Francis Fukuyama in '' The End Of History '' predicted that Liberal Democracy would become the favoured form of government throughout the earth. This period was called by some the New World Order . ARNOLD TOYNBEE'S CONCEPT OF A UNIVERSAL STATE Before modern times, the reach of political control and military force was limited by rudimentary transportation technologies and knowledge of geography. The Roman Empire had goals of global domination, and indeed the empire was able to conquer most of the "known world" (i.e., the Mediterranean ) throughout its long history. The Qin and Han dynasties as well as the Tang of China were also successful in conquering the known world of Chinese Civilization . Historian Arnold Toynbee used the term ''Universal State'' to refer to an empire like the Roman Empire or Chinese Empire that conquered the entire world known to a particular civilization. Toynbee, Arnold ''A Study of History--Volume XII: Reconsiderations'' London:1961--Oxford University Press Pages 308-313 "Universal States". EXAMPLES OF UNIVERSAL STATES Persian Empire The Persian Empire was the World 's first great Empire . At its height in 525 BC under Cyrus II The Great , it was Earth's first ''sole superpower''. Macedonian Empire The Macedonian Empire was formed as a result of Alexander The Great 's conquest of the Persian Empire . At his death in 323 BC it encompassed most of the world that was known to the Ancient Greeks . Mauryan Empire Ashoka The Great of India , after defeating the Kingdom of Kalinga in the Kalinga War and witnessing the bloodshed that resulted from the war, renounced violence, and at the height of his empire in 250 BC adopted Buddhism . He became a person who is sometimes regarded as the most enlightened ruler throughout history and envisioned a world governed by the compassionate Eightfold Path of Buddhism, sending out missionaries from Ancient India to as far as Ancient Rome and Egypt . Roman Empire As noted above, the Roman Empire at its height in under the emperor Trajan in 117 AD had conquered the entire area of the Greco-Roman Civilization . Arab Caliphate The Arab Caliphate , which reached its maximum extent in the 8th century, had as its express goal the conquest of the world for and by Islam . Mongol Empire The in 1206, and at its height in 1294 under Kublai Khan , it encompassed the majority of the territories from East Asia to Central Europe . The Mongol Empire was the first empire to use Paper Money on a large scale (it had been issued on a smaller scale in China as early as the 6th century AD). Ming Empire In the 15th century, the Ming Empire of China was a dominant power in Asia and the Yongle Emperor sent out beginning in 1405 under the command of the Admiral and Explorer Zheng He vast fleets of ships to explore and trade with Southeast Asia , India , Arabia , and Africa . The expeditions continued until 1433. Had China not abandoned its huge Naval / Maritime program in the mid 15th century, it is possible China rather than the European powers would have dominated the world in the 16th century. OTHER IMPORTANT EMPIRES Spanish Empire The nations closest to world domination in territorial terms were both the Kingdoms of Spain and Portugal when they were merged in 1580 (until 1640) during the reign of Philip II . The Spanish-Portuguese Empire covered almost all South and Central America, as well as a large area of southern and western North America, almost all African and Indian maritime territories and other important regions such as the Philippines , Guam , the Mariana and the Caroline Islands in Asia Pacific, and the Netherlands (known as Spanish Netherlands ), parts of France and a significant portion of the Italian peninsula, in Europe. Other territories included the Mediterranean islands of Sicily , Sardinia and Malta and the North African cities of Oran , Mers-el-Kébir , as well as Ceuta and Melilla which remain Spanish to this day. The Spanish Empire is also considered the first Global Empire in history. French Empire French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte had sights on global domination, and is often thought of as being the quintessential global conqueror. Napoleon saw his task as the spreading of the ideals of the French Revolution and of the Age Of Enlightenment throughout the world. British Empire The British Empire came closest to achieving global domination, at least in demographic and geographical terms. By the reign of Queen Victoria the British Empire had gained direct political control of about two fifths of the world's population and about one quarter of its land area, and Hegemony over nominally independent areas such as parts of China and South America. British imperialist advocate Cecil Rhodes proposed that the United States and the British Empire jointly establish a world government and make English the official world language. The British Empire is generally considered to have arisen as a result of Britain's trade objectives rather than an attempt to establish military dominion, however, and was dismantled after World War II without substantial bloodshed. Soviet Union Since the October Revolution , the Bolshevik s envisioned their regime as the first step to Communism dominating the world. The Comintern was established in 1919 in order to encourage Communist parties across the world and promote ''international proletarian revolution'', although Stalin seemed more interested in consolidating Communist control in the Soviet Union rather than promoting worldwide revolution. Japanese Empire Beginning in 1931 with the Invasion Of Manchuria , the Japanese Empire then launched an Aggressive War of conquest against China and Southeast Asia culminating, under the leadership of Hideki Tojo , in the attack on the United States at Pearl Harbor and the establishment of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere before the Empire's final defeat by the Allies in World War II in 1945. Nazi Germany In in December 1941 and his defeat in Russia beginning at Stalingrad in January 1943 sealed his doom. United States Although the . When ''The American Empire'' is spoken of, it is meant in a metaphorical, not a literal sense. Bacevich, Andrew J. (Professor of International Relations, Boston University) ''American Empire: The Realities and Consequences of U.S. Diplomacy'' Cambridge, Massachusetts:2002--Harvard University Press Some consider the initial establishment of the and his Secretary Of State , John Foster Dulles , was to create a Pax Americana in the American Sphere Of Influence . In his final speech in 1960 before leaving office, Eisenhower warned against allowing the '' Military-industrial Complex '' to gain too much power. In the aftermath of the , 2003 with the launching by the United States of the Iraq War . In February 2004, 2004 He went on to say that America was not an imperial power the traditional sense , but a commercial republic. Today, the United States is often called Earth's ''sole Superpower ''. The Economic system of the "American Empire" is generally called Neoliberalism , which some critics say is the domination of the economy by Multinational Corporation s but with free competition among them so that new Corporation s with new Invention s and Technology that are more efficient can replace older less efficient corporations. POSSIBLE FUTURE MEANS OF WORLD DOMINATION Western Imperium Some of the United States , Russia , the United Kingdom , and France into a single Force would give the ''Western Imperium'' an overwhelming military advantage, giving it world domination. Anarchist world confederation Ironically, some calls to unite Anti-globalization movements around the globe may be also seen as Utopian attempts by Anarchists to take over the world from Multinational Corporation s. Some anarchists, Green Anarchists , Green s, and Libertarians envision an ''anarchist world confederation'', i.e., the abolition of all presently existing Nation s and the institution of a worldwide system of about 1,000 locally autonomous Province sized local regions or Bioregion s that are largely self-sufficient and engage in mutually beneficial Free Trade for needed commodities not produced locally; however, no region would dominate any other region, and although there would be no central authority such as a world parliament, presumably the regions would consult with each other on matters of mutual interest. Some believe it might be necessary to have a small cooperatively managed Green world police force like the United Nations peacekeeping forces in order to prevent the possibility of a Warlord arising in one of the regions and attempting to dominate other regions (it is presumed that by the time the confederation is set up, there will have been total Nuclear Disarmament ). Many anarchist, Green, and Libertarian political theorists (such as green anarchist " theory, which argues that it is when resources are ''scarce'' that dominating central authorities emerge.) The economic system of an ''anarchist world confederation'' (criticized by some as a for the confederation. Greens advocate a "mixed economy" with both systems co-existing. {Link without Title} World Federation The of the World Federalist government would be administered by the Head Of Government , the Prime Minister of the World Parliament; no major World Federalist group has as yet proposed that there be elected also a President Of Earth to be the Head Of State of a United Earth. Supercomputer world domination In 2005, ISBN 0-670-03384-7 The 1970 Science Fiction Film '' The Forbin Project '' depicts a scenario in which a supercomputer takes over the world. Alien Invasion See Also: Alien_invasion l1=Alien invasion The alien invasion is a common theme in Science Fiction stories and Film , in which a technologically-superior Extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to replace human life, or to Enslave it under a Colonial system, or in some cases, to use humans as food. GLOBAL DOMINATION IN POPULAR CULTURE Board Games
Computers
Film
Music
Science Fiction
Television
Video Games and ''' Computer Games '''
REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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