Do You Believe in American Exceptionalism ?

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American exceptionalism (def. "exceptionalism") refers to the theory that the United States occupies a special niche among the nations of the world^[1] in terms of its nationalcredo, historical evolution, political and religious institutions and unique origins. The first description of the belief is attributed to Alexis de Tocqueville,^[2][3] who claimed that the then-50-year-old United States held a special place among nations, because it was a country of immigrants and the first modern democracy.

In 1927 Jay Lovestone, leader of the Communist Party in America, defined American exceptionalism as the increasing strength of American capitalism, a strength which he said prevented Communist revolution.^[4] In 1929, Joseph Stalin, unwilling to believe that America was so resistant to revolution, called Lovestone's ideas "the heresy of American exceptionalism."^[5] In the 1930s, academicians in the U.S. redefined American exceptionalism as befitting a nation that was to lead the world, with the U.S. to serve the older European societies as an example of a liberated future free from Marxism and socialism.^[5] More recently, socialists and other writers have tried to discover or describe this exceptionalism of the U.S. within and outside its borders.^[6]

The theory of American exceptionalism has a number of opponents, especially from the LeftThey argue that the belief is "self-serving and jingoistic" (see slavery, civil rights and social welfare issues, Western betrayal, and the failure to aid Jews fleeing the Nazis),^[1] that it is based on a myth,^[11] and that "[t]here is a growing refusal to accept" the idea of exceptionalism both nationally and internationally ...

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Posted by GB