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Up until the turn of the 20th century the world still
直到20世纪初，世界上依旧
boasted real live emperors such as
存在真正意义上的皇帝
Tsar Nicholas the 2nd of Russia, Kaiser Wilhelm
比如俄罗斯的尼古拉斯二世，德国的
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
但是即便后来这些皇帝都成为了历史
empires remained. The German Russian and
帝国却保存了下来，由于一战
Ottoman empires all disintegrated thanks to the
德国，俄罗斯以及
First World War of 1914 to 1918. The German Empire
奥特曼帝国都分崩离析，但德意志帝国
came back temporarily as Adolph Hitler's 3rd Riche,
在二战中以希特勒的第三帝国的形式
1939 to 1945, and the Russian Empire reemerged as
重新出现，而从1917年到1991年
the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1991.
俄国也以苏联的形式重新出现
The Japanese, French, Dutch and for the most part
而日本，法国，荷兰
the British Empires disintegrated after
以及大英帝国在二战后
the Second World War from 1939 to 1945.
都已宣告解体
In the wake of the Second World War the world became
二战之后，世界被划分为两个阵营
divided into two blocks or sides or teams or cliques
或者两个对立方，或者说
or factions or whatever. One, the United States and
两个利益集团，一方是
its allies also known as the West, the western block,
美国及其联盟组成的西方阵营
NATO or the bourgeois imperialist war mongers.
也就是北约或者资产阶级帝国主义者
Number 2, the Soviet Union and its allies sometimes
另一方是苏联及其同盟
including Red China but usually not, also known as
其中有时包括新中国，但大多时候不包括
the east or the Warsaw Pact or the eastern block or as
它们组成了华约，或者东方阵营
the godless commi imperialists.
有时也被称作无信仰的共产帝国主义者
Notice that the word imperialist is not really a term
我们要注意 "帝国主义者"并不是
of endearment here. By the 20th century the term
一个褒义词，到20世纪 "帝国"一词
empire had become a synonym for a system designed
所代表的就是一个这样的体系，为了
to oppress poor subject peoples and nations for the
莫斯科，伦敦，巴黎东京甚至华盛顿的
benefit of a rich, war mongering elite in Moscow,
鼓吹战争的富有的精英们的利益
London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin or even Washington DC.
而对穷困的人民和国家进行压迫
Peace makers and imperialists, of course the folks in
和平提倡者和帝国主义者，尽管
Moscow, London, Paris, Tokyo, Berlin and
历史上，莫斯科，伦敦，巴黎，东京
Washington DC have historically tended to see it
柏林和华盛顿的人们并不是这样看
otherwise. One of the strongest arguments for
这个问题的，关于保留帝国的一个
acquiring and maintaining an empire has been the
最重要的论点就是，帝国的存在
need to maintain world peace. The Roman principate
有利于维护世界和平，奥古斯都，凯撒
devised by Augustus Caesar in the days of Christ set
创立的帝国君主政体使地中海沿岸在
a precedent by maintaining peace in the Mediterranean
公元前31年到公元235年间的250年中
world for more than 250 years, from 31BC to 235AD.
一直保持和平，这是绝无仅有的
This peace is called the so called Pax Romana,
这一时期被称作罗马帝国统治下的和平时期
Roman Peace, or even Pax Augustana,
或者是奥古斯都统治下的和平时期
Augustus' Peace. Some of Augustus' later successors
奥古斯都后来的一些继承者
even worked on the notion that they, the emperors,
甚至认为作为皇帝
had been put on earth to serve the inhabitants of the
自己就是为罗马帝国的万物安康而生
emperium romanum, indeed the interests of the whole
或者说为了全人类的利益而生
human race. Other successors were not as high minded;
另外一些继承者则没有那么志向高远
Marcus Aralias' son and successor, Commodus,
马可，奥勒利乌斯的继承者康茂德
180 to 192AD, among other fascinating things
于公元180-192年任罗马帝国皇帝
officially decreed that he was Hercules.
他公开称自己是大力神赫丘利转世
All in all the Pax Romana had been a good thing
一言以蔽之，罗马帝国统治下的和平时期
for western civilization so various attempts were
对西方文明是有利的，因此几个世纪以来
made to replicate it, do it over again,
人们无数次尝试去重塑
bring it back, for centuries.
或者重现这一时期
Yet as the 19th century merged into the 20th century
但是送走19世纪，迎来20世纪
we find empire meaning something completely
我们发现"帝国"的意义完全改变了
different. The great powers of the day including
当时的大国，包括英国
Britain, France, Spain, Germany, Russia,
法国，西班牙，德国，俄罗斯和
the United States, were all trying to grab onto and
美国，都在疯狂掠夺殖民地
hang onto and exploit financially as much territory
并对这些区域的人们进行经济上的剥削
as they could get. These powers made a pretense of
这些大国以提高新领地的文明程度
civilizing their new territories but for the most part
为借口，实际上在大多数情况下
these nations grab new territory
他们掠夺的原因仅仅是
because they could and it was there.
它们有能力这样做。
