The Three Stages Of American History

   The three stages of American history are perfectly clear: interstate union up to Lincoln, nationalism from Lincoln until the assassination of Kennedy in 1963, then internationalism. The American states have always remained sovereign and Washington has always steadily increased its power, but the states have never been like other states in the world because they are not fully sovereign and Washington has never been a state. The emphasis in each stage is what counts not the shifting balance of power between the  governments local, state and central. The most important fixed element of the union’s unity is that Washington has always been an interstate government with limited sovereign powers and this made it easy to fashion and refashion itself in each of the three stages, especially during the last and present stage when it became an international government.

   The third stage arrived at the end of the Cold War in 1962. The postwar conflict between the US and Russia forced Washington and Moscow to try to take control of the world. The US exported its corporations globally and destabilized any government that did not support a capitalistic economy. Russia exported technical and monetary help to puppet states under its power or to states willing to fight against US interference and become communist. The two opposing systems were unions of states tightly controlled politically by a central power. The US Congress gave Washington dictatorial powers in matters of national security by the National Security Act of  1947. Moscow continued dictatorial rule with new dictators following Stalin’s successful one-man rule. The two unions of states reinforced each others central power at home by their worldwide fight  against each other for influence and by their military superiority to all other governments globally with their enormous quantities of nuclear arms. Each worldwide system justified its opposite worldwide system and each secured its power internally and in the world by constantly building up its armed forces.

Then came the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962. It made a huge crack in the global security that the opposition of two great powers caused by showing the world that Washington and Moscow were unwilling to fight a hot war. It was the end of the Cold War but nonetheless each side rushed headlong ahead to continue it. They succeeded in keeping it going up until 1991 even though the American economic system and the globalization of industry and commerce promoted by Washington was completely outpacing the Russian communist system. In 1991 Moscow broke up its union of 15 sovereign states. The world was left with the union of fifty American states combined with the de facto union of the states worldwide supported and influenced by Washington. Washington was an international government, the only one.

Daniel McNeill’s play,The Body Is A Legal Drug, will have 7 performances during the Midtown International Theater Festival in New York in July and August at the Davenport Theatre 354 West 45th Street. 212-956-0948.

Loving the one you’re with can come back to haunt you. A new comedy about finding your true identity.
tickets $20.00 : https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/27845Performances: July 18 2:30 pm. July 20 6:30 pm. July 24 6:30 pm. July 26 7:00 pm. July 28 8:30 pm. July 31 8:00 pm. August 2 3:30 pm.