: Amazon.com.au: Kindle Store
Kindle
$16.40
Available instantly
Audiobook
$14.95Available instantly
Read sample
Audible sample
The public debate over American interventionism at the dawn of the 20th century is vividly brought to life in this "engaging, well-focused history" (Kirkus, starred review).
Should the United States use its military to dominate foreign lands? It's a perennial question that first raised more than a century ago during the Spanish American War. The country's political and intellectual leaders took sides in an argument that would shape American policy and identity through the 20th century and beyond.
Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst pushed for imperial expansion; Mark Twain, Booker T. Washington, and Andrew Carnegie preached restraint. Not since the nation's founding had so many brilliant Americans debated a question so fraught with meaning for all humanity.
As Stephen Kinzer demonstrates in The True Flag, their eloquent discourse is as relevant today as it was then. Because every argument over America's role in the world grows from this one.
Read less
Print length
432 pages
Language
English
Product description
Review
"One could not ask for a timelier argument...Kinzer is right: the first debate over American empire at the end of the nineteenth century speaks to our own time."--The New York Review of Books
"A well-researched account, which also gestures toward subsequent U.S. interventions"--The New Yorker
"lively and very readable reconstruction of one of American history's most consequential debates....What's striking now is how much this century-old debate mirrors contemporary issues and positions"--Dallas
Morning News
"Important and lucid...Kinzer is an incisive historian of American foreign policy."--Christian Science Monitor
"[A] gripping narrative . . . Kinzer ably conveys the passion and ferment of this brief period, situating this grand debate in the context of U.S. foreign policy history and convincingly arguing that the imperial/anti-imperial dichotomy remains a dominant feature of the American psyche." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In this engaging, well-focused history...Kinzer astutely brings the debate [over American imperialism] from the turn of the century to the present. A tremendously elucidating book that should be required reading for civics courses."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This straight-forward treatment of America's struggle to define its international posture is essential for readers at all levels as we continue this debate and wonder, 'Why don't they like us?'"--Library Journal (starred review)
"Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag is a marvelous and timely look at the rise of American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. All the big power players of the era - Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain among them - are analyzed cogently as intellectuals of great merit. An outstanding book!"
--Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America and professor of history, Rice University
"Even in the pages of a novel, it would be impossible to find more extraordinary characters than Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. That these two men locked horns over one of the most fundamental issues facing a young nation is a stunning turn of events, one that Stephen Kinzer, through meticulous research and masterful writing, has turned into a fascinating, fast-paced narrative."
--Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt, Destiny of the Republic, and Hero of the Empire
"At a moment when Americans are hotly debating their country's role in the world, Stephen Kinzer takes us back to the origins of the modern debate. His account of the battle between imperialists and anti-imperialists at the end of the nineteenth century is riveting, uplifting, dismaying--and as timely as can be."
--H. W. Brands, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War
"In The True Flag, Stephen Kinzer gives us much more than the story of the birth of American dominion. He shows why we Americans were attracted to empire, how we have nurtured it to maturity, and what our choices are now. I thank him for helping me better understand how America acts in the world today."
--James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage
"Stephen Kinzer's lively and incisive history takes us back more than a century to a fateful turning point: the moment when the United States first assumed the right to overthrow or build up regimes in distant parts of the globe. I hope American leaders will read this book and think long and hard about the warning it sounds." --Adam Hochschild, author of Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold's Ghost
About the Author
STEPHEN KINZER is the author of The Brothers, Reset, Overthrow,All the Shah’s Men, and other books. An award-winning foreign correspondent, he served as Latin America correspondent for the Boston Globe and as the New York Times bureau chief in Nicaragua, Germany, and Turkey. He is a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University and writes a column on world affairs for the Boston Globe. He lives in Boston.
Product details
ASIN : B01HW6Z3L0
Publisher : Henry Holt and Co.
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 24 January 2017
Language : English
File size : 24.0 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 432 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1627792172
==
From Australia
Helpful
yshoraka
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informativeReviewed in Australia on 5 January 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I found this book very informative. As people throughout should and can affect the policies of their government, this book is a must-read for everyone. Thereby, I highly recommend it.
HelpfulReport
From other countries
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars History they don’t teach in schoolReviewed in the United States on 18 December 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great read. Great author. Reads like a novel but Learned so much important history that I was never taught in school. I was so unclear about the era of the Spanish American War. You will be surprised. Another shameful blemish on US history.
Report
Sherri Cianca
5.0 out of 5 stars Every American Should KnowReviewed in Canada on 12 September 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If a country were a person, the US would be diagnosed as having a dissociative identity disorder. In this book Stephen Kinzer documents America's two conflicting personalities, one driven by capitalistic greed and love of war, the other by peace and love for humanities well being. The question remains "Can a nation so conceived, and so divided, long endure?"
Report
Amber Smithwhite
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Historical perspective of USAReviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Mark Twain, Samuel Clements, is one of my favourite writers so I enjoyed reading about his political viewpoint. Didn't know much about Teddy Roosevelt so was an interesting book for many people to get an insight to the American attitude to 'ruling' the world and acting as though they are the only country that counts on this planet.
Report
Kerry Timmins
5.0 out of 5 stars the train is funny and cleverReviewed in Germany on 22 July 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Good stories
Report
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Luis de VelascoReviewed in Spain on 23 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excelente libro.Ahora con razón se habla de las mentiras de Trump.Antecedente:Teddy Roosevelt y compinches imperialistas.Trump y otros presidentes EEUU alumnos distinguidos.
Report
Translate review to English
D.
5.0 out of 5 stars arrived in excellent conditionReviewed in Canada on 23 August 2020
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
enjoyed the read
Report
Joel Marks
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and timely history of the U.S.'s debut as a world powerReviewed in the United States on 24 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I am very glad to have read this book, even though it is written in a way that swings between pedestrian and sensationalist. There is no denying that Kinzer brings to the reader's attention an exceedingly interesting and important episode of U.S. history, about which most of us, I imagine, had not an inkling. I for one had not realized that a specific event (or set of events) over a century ago, and occurring in the space of just a couple of years, decided our fate as a world power.
In "The True Flag" we learn that, at the turn of the Twentieth Century, there was a fierce public debate about whether the U.S. should be involved militarily in international affairs only as a liberator or as a conqueror -- as an embodiment of the idea that all people are entitled to be self-governing, or as the colonizer of an empire. Various American idealists rallied to the former conception, while mercantile and "religious" interests defended the latter.
What makes this debate so interesting is that the "bad guys" really did have some persuasive arguments. They pointed out, first of all, that the supposed American ideal of self-governance completely ignores our (then very recent) history of snatching other people's territory in the creation of the country. They also argued that the people of other lands were not (today we would say "might not be") prepared to self-govern in an effective way. Finally, and no doubt the main engine of their motives, they argued that, with so many European countries grabbing colonies all over the world, if we didn't take what we could get, we would miss our chance to acquire economically and strategically important markets and bases of operation.
Meanwhile the anti-imperialists also offered a mix of high-sounding and pragmatic arguments. Aside from wanting the U.S. to stand out as a unique bastion of liberty for all the world, they also predicted that imperialist adventures would embroil us in endless strife and cause, rather than alleviate, humanitarian disasters.
The imperialists won the debate in practical terms, setting us on the course we follow to this day (albeit in modified form), but the anti-imperialists' predictions proved painfully on the mark, both in the short and long terms. Particularly our (mis)adventure in the Philippines was every bit the forerunner of the Vietnam debacle my generation thought was so unique. Overall this book (and its story) leaves one -- or at least an idealist like myself -- lamenting the lost opportunity the U.S. had to be truly unique on the world stage, rather than just another bullying power. Reading it coincides, also lamentably, with a different but related kind of disillusionment with this country due to the election of a demagogue as President.
By the way, the elevation of Mark Twain to shared top billing in the subtitle (and cover illustration) is misleading. Twain does not enter Kinzer's story with any significance until more than two thirds of the way through the book (page 178). Meanwhile, I would definitely have appreciated more in-depth background on the other principal anti-imperialists, such as Andrew Carnegie, Booker T. Washington, William Jennings Bryan, Carl Schurz, and George Frisbie Hoar. Again, I would not have known about their roles in this dramatic story without Kinzer's book, but the book treats them largely as characters who walk on stage for the imperialism debate, leaving us curious about just who these people were in their totality. The Imperialists get better coverage.
23 people found this helpfulReport
Thomas A. Regelski
3.0 out of 5 stars Of interest to those who don't know much about the ...Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Of interest to those who don't know much about the time period in question, but there's hardly any info (and, then, not until the ending chapters) about Twain's role in the politics of the time.
One person found this helpfulReport
==
From other countries
cassim bakharia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Well Received - Great Item - Prompt Delivery - Thank You
Report
Pbiker
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the debates that will turn the USA around for all time!Reviewed in the United States on 17 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I consider myself to be very knowledgeable about US History. In fact I have read at least 10 books about TR. It is fair to say that I have been at least a fan, but more likely I/d describe myself as a Teddy devotee. This book showing the annexation of Cuba, Porto Rico (as the Senate called it) and the Phillipines reads like a Clive Cussler novel. The speeches made for the Imperialist forces versus the anti-imperialists was a mighty clash of philosophies. Roosevelt, Lodge, McKinley former Pres.Garfield wanted America to utilize it's Manifest Destiny. Samuel Gompers, Booker T. Washington Andrew Carnegie (who offered to pay the millions that the US was going to pay Spain for these outposts with the only condition was free elections by the Native population.). The there is the almost bizarre split-personality of William Jennings Bryan.He had the ability to sway the treaty ratification in the Senate. In a dramatic switch he announced that the US would be doing this ONLY until the country was "stabilized" then free elections would happen The treaty passed by one vote. Amazingly Bryan had a 2nd chance to defeat the annexation if only he would not raise "Free Silver" in his soon-to-come next presidential election. Carnegie was willing to pump millions into his campaign. McKinley would lose. Teddy Roosevelt would NOT be the VP of the USA. But Bryan could not let go of his "Cross of Gold" fanaticism. His omen dried up. McKinley, as you know, lost, was assassinated and Roosevelt, the true jingoist became the President who adopted the American empire climb into the superpower line-up. Fascinating Book. I left out one of the foremost anti-imperialists. Mark Twain, who once said, "God created war so that Americans could learn Geography!"
33 people found this helpfulReport
Jerome Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars The Author always does a great job !Reviewed in the United States on 10 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
It’s politics and culture to a detailed degree.
Report
Katherine Cameron
5.0 out of 5 stars LONG BEFORE DONALD TRUMP....Reviewed in the United States on 18 April 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Every country has a "before and after" narrative - a critical turning point. For the USA, we frequently cite the Civil War or WWII. At these junctions, we had a choice, took a particular path, and changed the country profoundly. These were defining moments.
The True Flag pinpoints an entirely different junction - mid-way between the Civil War and WWII, at the turn of the 20th Century. This is the time when the entire country debated whether or not to become an imperialist power. The pawns in the game were Cuba, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, and the Philippines. The US successfully fought Spain to "free" these territories, but then had second thoughts.
Twain, Carnegie, and Hearst, championed self-governance for these far-flung lands, outside our existing borders. Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were on the other side, arguing for the US to become a strong world power. They persuaded President Mckinley. The True Flag focuses on the very short period of time during which this debate was engaged, and fatefully resolved.
Every bad thing you ever heard about the US war in the Philippines comes alive on these pages, and things you never heard. Ditto Cuba. The bitter surprise is that the debate came so close. On several occasions, the anti-imperialists lost by a singe vote. The whole country threw itself into this agonizing debate, much as it is doing now, with Trump. Digest this sad story, and a whole heck of a lot of our current political and international situations will suddenly make more sense. Tragic sense.
The True Flag is VERY well-written, a page turner, and a bitter-sweet story of what might have been. Despite our history of genocide, slavery, and other well-known depravities, the United States also had some important ideals and democratic principles imbedded in our Constitution - ideals that have inspired others throughout the world, and provided a corrective force to our nation's many missteps. Key among these principles is the idea that government should function by consent of the governed - the people.
When the imperialists won the debate at the end of the 19th century, arguing cynically that brown people were incapable of governing themselves, the American democratic experiment hung in the balance, then went down to defeat. We have McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, and Henry Cabot Lodge to thank, long before Donald Trump arrived on the scene to trample the remnants.
19 people found this helpfulReport
Mr Oates' Willie
3.0 out of 5 stars Denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotismReviewed in the United States on 17 February 2022
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The birth of jingoism. If you leave out manifest destiny, the American Indian wars & TX/Mexico.
I would have appreciated a few pages of how this debate continued between the Treaty of Paris 1898 & The treaty of Versailles 1919. I guess the answer is W Wilson & the Hall of Mirrors. Very timely, as 'we' approach Ukrainian conflict.
One person found this helpfulReport
Jim Lester
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history of American foreign policyReviewed in the United States on 9 May 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This is an important and thought-provoking piece of history. Kinzer details the ideas and activities of American political leaders, led by Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted our country to expand America's overseas empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Their efforts were opposed by a group of anti-imperialists led by Mark Twain, who believed America would lose its soul if it seized other countries and tried to govern them.
According to Kinser, the broad outlines of this argument have formed the basis of America's foreign policy discussions for over a hundred years. The book is well written and the closing section on the nation's post-World War II foreign policy is worth the price of the book. I would highly recommend this book to any reader interested in American history or any reader searching for an explanation of our country's recent expansionist foreign policy.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Florian
5.0 out of 5 stars While reading Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag I listened to ...Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
While reading Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag I listened to Maurice Ravel's Bolero.
Somehow the music and the events match. The Bolero's incessant drive of sound resembles the powerful push for war and conquest the United States experienced during the years from 1898-1902. As documented in this book, it began with the Spanish-American War and proceeded with establishing an American Empire that included Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
There is never a shortage of reasonable persons who stand in opposition to U.S. wars of choice, but they seem to drown in the ever increasing crescendos of hypnotic war drums which will dominate across the country. With a current in the American psyche that gravitates toward action, and doing, and getting things done, foreign adventures appear to be tempting. Perhaps the autocratic temperament persists even in democracies, and
finds an outlet in orchestrating war, occupation, and colonial acquisition. For individual men with big egos and even bigger agendas, the processes of democratic government can be too pedestrian and too slow. Kinzer's finely crafted study, for this reader underscored by the forceful music of the Bolero, makes the hazards of such political patterns perfectly clear.
3 people found this helpfulReport
T Richards
2.0 out of 5 stars This was another hit job on America. The author’s unrelenting undermines credibilityReviewed in the United States on 19 July 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I’m glad I read this book, as I learned much about how deeply divided our country was at the turn of the 20th century regarding how half of the country was adamantly devoted to the principles and the myths of our patriotic split from England, and the other half was pragmatic and bold about America’s role in the world. Aside from the unmistakable bias of the author, which the reader spots after about three pages, an objective perspective comes away that both sides were right in their own ways. My problem with this book was that it was a 300+ page Op Ed. I’m glad it was so short, I couldn’t have taken anymore. Knowing a lot about Roosevelt and the era generally, I found the presentation of facts so one-sided and biased, I had to question the author’s honesty, and his presentation of true facts. His motives were clear. Only the last chapter is there any glimmer of objectivity, but even then, it was drenched with cynical snap judgments condemning US more recent actions abroad in such a simplistic and conclusive manner that any student of history would know ignored the actual nuances and complexities of what was really happening at the time. Some of the cataclysmic causal connections the author can make in one sentence is actually laughable. The short shrift he gives to WWII and the Nazis (0%) is stunning, and blaming the Cold War completely on the American fear of Soviet aggression makes one angry this simplistic “fact” was in the last chapter. Had it been in the preface, it would have saved readers some time. And would have provided some tinder. The latter observation made me research this author, and I was not surprised by what I found. This was a “Hate America” book dressed up like objective reportage. It wasn’t objective in the slightest. Every instance of international suffering is blamed on America’s racist, saber-rattling, and insatiable quest for domination of the weak. Every.Single.One. I must give credit when credit is due. He can really turn a venomous phrase when piously rubbing America’s nose in what he thinks is it’s missteps. It was short. It’s always good when propaganda pamphlets don’t take that long to read. I’m glad I have this woke diatribe in the rear view mirror.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Sixthga
2.0 out of 5 stars Biased "History"Reviewed in the United States on 25 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I will leave comments re Kinzer's knowledge of the political history of the era to others. I will say, and I'm being charitable, that his take on the military history of the Cuban war, especially from the soldiers' perspective, is not his strength. His ignorance shows clearly when he describes U.S. military arms as superior to those of the Spanish. Most American troops, the state volunteers, were armed with antiquated single shot Springfield Trapdoor rifles of the Indian Wars era. U.S. regulares were armed with the modern Krag Jorgensen rifle but, like the Springfield, it fired a black powder cartridge which belched white smoke on firing, giving away U.S. positions. Likewise, U.S. artillery, in short supply in any event, also used black powder propellant making Spanish counter-battery fire accurate and remorseless. Spanish troops were armed with the superior Mauser rifle which fired modern smokeless powder. Spanish artillery, also smokeless, far outmatched that of the Americans. And then there were the modern machine guns behind Spanish barbed-wire. We were using gatling guns, a late Civil War invention. Kinzer shows his true colors when he describes the fighting as an American walk-over with no aspects of bravery or courage involved. Has he not read primary sources and soldiers accounts of the fighting? Brutal. Savage at times. Great bravey was shown by soldiers in both armies. Whatever TR's motivation for going to war, once he was in it he led from the front and demonstrated raw gourage. He led U.S. forces up Kettle Hill on horseback -- the only mounted officer in that charge. It is absolutely amazing that neither he nor his horse were hit. He only dismounted when he encountered wire at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, Kinzer apparently writes with a political agenda and his book suffers for it.
20 people found this helpfulReport
RK
4.0 out of 5 stars Continuing coverageReviewed in the United States on 12 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is a very good book about an important topic that, as Kinzer mentions, has been and will be debated forever. It is short enough that even a casual interest in American imperialism (especially in Cuba and the Philippines) will get you through to the end. I did think it odd that Twain occupies a space on the cover and in the title but is sparsely found in the text. Roosevelt has a larger role (naturally, as a man of consequence), but Kinzer focuses just as heavily on McKinley, Bryan, and Lodge--all of whom are worthy of discussion, if not as big of booksellers today.
The last chapter of the book departs from the 1898-1902 bulk and draws a continuous line from Roosevelt to Obama with details of many (failed) US foreign escapades. Kinzer is staunchly opposed to intervention but provides ample evidence to support his position.
4 people found this helpfulReport
==
From other countries
michael langsdorf
4.0 out of 5 stars The Genesis of US Hegemony
Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A succinct and quite readable history of the genesis of America's interventionism, beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898. The author does an excellent job in analyzing the personality clashes and ensuing bitterness between "interventionist" and "non-interventionist" emerging schools of thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The book inevitably raises the implicit--though never stated--question of what we never seem to learn from past--sometimes well-intentioned--overseas blunders, making one wonder why we never appear to derive any lessons from our own history.
The last 10-15% of the book is a bit polemical, and condenses about 120 of history into a few dozen pages, though the theme (and lesson) is clear.
For those who, like me, were largely unaware of the seminal implications of the Spanish-American War, and the concomitant bloody, merciless conquest of the Philippines, this is well worth reading.
11 people found this helpful
Report
Hrvoje
5.0 out of 5 stars The True Flag of America is Currently Empire
Reviewed in the United States on 13 July 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Stephen Kinzer has uncovered a story every American citizen must read. If you ever wondered at what point America became an empire, wonder no more. 1898 was the clarion call of empire consecrated with the false flag sinking of the USS Maine in Cuba wrongly blamed on Spain and skirmishes provoked by US soldiers against patriotic rebels in the Philippines.
He painstakingly details the speeches, debates and rhetoric coming out of the imperial and anti-imperial camp. Surprisingly, robber barons such as Andrew Carnegie were vocal anti-imperialists. The scene played out like House of Cards where senators and politicians traded favors in exchange for the "right" vote on the Treaty of Paris which would turn out to be the American Empire's birth certificate.
And the debate is as relevant today as it was in 1898. It is unfortunate that no such debate is currently taking place in the American Empire. Every Kinzer book is a must-read and perhaps this is his best yet!
5 people found this helpful
Report
Cody Popejoy
4.0 out of 5 stars An honest critique of the beginnings of American Imperialism
Reviewed in the United States on 21 November 2018
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A straightforward and clean read about the beginning of American Imperalism and the principle characters involved. The story pits the American Imperalists, hungry for Cuba and the Philippines against the Anti-Imperalists. Teddy Rosevelt for the former, and Mark Twain for the latter. America had a choice then, to mind their own business, or to go out, violently, in the name of Liberty, and sack other countries who attempted to do just that: liberate themselves. It is an irony that is still fundamental to American foreign policy today, sadly enough. A good read, not to dense, and sheds light on the America we know today.
Report
William J. Hecht
4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book for Today not just history.
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
An important book covering the beginning of the US's Imperial behavior overseas. it covers the period from the late 1890' through 1902 and includes our taking of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines as part of the Spanish American war "spoils" plus Hawaii out of greed. The protagonists include TR, McKinley, Cabot Lodge, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and a whole host of US leaders. Much of the discussion of our place in the world played out in a series of discussions nd Congressional actions which have in my reading been largely uncovered. We still live with the questionable legacy today.
One person found this helpful
Report
BobSculpt
4.0 out of 5 stars The Roots of USA Foreign Policy
Reviewed in the United States on 12 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book explores the evolution of the USA's foreign policy from 1898 to the present.
Among other things it presents a very different, and not appealing, view of Theodore Roosevelt.
It exposes the majority views of Americans as egotistical, racist, holier-than-thou and money-driven,
not only in 1898 but also today. Despite repeated evidence to the contrary, most Americans favor
intervention in other countries, believing it will benefit the US, while repeatedly it entangles us in multiple
problems, creates huge budget problems, and engenders hatred of the USA. Will we ever learn ?
7 people found this helpful
Report
Rkkjr
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read -- how the US went from being a model for the world to a master of imperialism
Reviewed in the United States on 10 May 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
An incredible book detailing the critical points in our history when we 'made a wrong turn' -- The Paris Agreements with Spain where we got Cuba, the Philipines and a few other islands - and how that re-inforced our mission to not rule, but safe and help the lower class peoples of the world find God and Democracy -- And how has that worked out!
Key roles of Teddy Roosevelt and others changed our future. Meanwhile, Mark Twain was railing against expansionism.
I cannot recommend this book more highly and it helps understand why the US is both loved and hated in the world today
3 people found this helpful
Report
Keith Raulli
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on 28 September 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Interesting read not sure if many Americans want to admit how the country was founded but that is how it is/was & brought us to where we are now..
Report
KMcKay
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite good to the last drop
Reviewed in the United States on 5 May 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is a superb history of events in the US, Cuba and the Philipines following the end of the Spanish-American War, and I highly recommend it up through Chapter 10. He's wrong on almost every point he makes in Chapter 11.
One person found this helpful
Report
Dr. Doug
5.0 out of 5 stars We Never Learn!
Reviewed in the United States on 26 March 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A clear & concise review of the development of U.S. foreign policy that led to such disasters as the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, & Afghanistan. Our leaders in Washington keep making the same mistakes because of their hubris & ignorance of history. I would suggest Trump read this book but due to his limited attention span he probably wouldn't make it past the cover. Are wars with Iran & North Korea in our future?
2 people found this helpful
Report
red riding hood
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating piece of history -- explains a lot about U.S. foreign policy today
Reviewed in the United States on 15 August 2018
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book reads like a novel in the sense that it is quite hard to put down. The characters are very lifelike, because the author has chosen to include parts of speeches and letters, showing the characters' thinking and reasoning on issues of the day. Mr. Kinzer's book about U.S. foreign policy from 1898 onward has added considerably to my understanding of current events. I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
Report
==
rd
5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely love this book
Reviewed in the United States on 22 June 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I absolutely love this book! I am giving strong consideration to adding it to my class reading list in the Fall. Not only does Kinzer efficiently lay out America's move toward empire in the late 19th century, he does so in such a way as to allow the reader to see connections in American foreign policy and action throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.
Report
Beth7
5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew?
Reviewed in the United States on 12 February 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I think Kinzer is a wonderful writer. He brings you back into the scene of the US's fork in the road when the country could have stayed a republic or morphed into an empire. And it was this fateful turn, this choice made by certain elites that eventually contributed a great deal to our eventual loss of democracy.
Report
Steve Schramm
5.0 out of 5 stars it would be good to really consider these points
Reviewed in the United States on 29 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Everything old is new again -- all these arguments are the same ones we are having today (and had after WWII, and Korea, and Vietnam, and...). If you have any interest in our country and how it can or should behave relative to other countries in the world, definitely read this book. I wish we were having a national conversation as we had during these times; it would be good to really consider these points.
One person found this helpful
Report
David L. Pugh
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book and shameful American history.
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book is one of two books this past year that affirmed my views on American history in a very negative perspective. The story of our mistreatment and subjugation of the Phillappenes is mind bogging. If you are ashamed of our mistreatment of native Americans you will be double or triply shocked by our treatment of the Philappeno people. Having said that, it is a terrific book and everybody should read it.
2 people found this helpful
Report
HappyManJK
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Historical Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on 22 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This enlightening book will give pause to everyone who is concerned about the US presence in the world. Carefully researched and brilliantly written, it lays bare the geopolitical track of the US over the last 120 years. It is very informative and sometimes disturbing to face the reality of how the US has used its powerful position in the world. Thought provoking, the way a good history book should be.
One person found this helpful
Report
Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars It stands a great background as this nation once again tackles the issue ...
Reviewed in the United States on 21 July 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This work covered a period often overlooked by most treatments of US History. It stands a great background as this nation once again tackles the issue of immigration. The attitudes we have regarding our place in the world have deep roots. After reading "The True Flag" my opinion of Teddy Roosevelt is somewhat diminished while my appreciation of Mark Twain was bolstered.
Report
Bryan LeBlanc
4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for perspective on the debate we are ...
Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A must read for perspective on the debate we are still having today about the influence of a relatively young democracy on the rest of the world. A lot of insight into turn-of-the-century politics that you probably haven't seen in many other places.
Report
Thomas Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative
Reviewed in the United States on 15 January 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I had to read this book for a university history class. It's well written and a page turner for sure. It shows the history and culture of American imperialism. To intervene or not, was what America was talking about in the late 1800s. Learned a lot, really good book.
Report
curtis purnell
5.0 out of 5 stars America's Fundamental Racist Foreign Policy
Reviewed in the United States on 25 February 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This a great book. I had no idea of how much my knowledge of US history was lacking. It was always hitting me with new facts that made me think. My ideal vision of the old history was proven wrong, today's politics has nothing on the players in 1890's. Every enlighting a great read
One person found this helpful
Report
Jylene Livengood
5.0 out of 5 stars and overlooked period of history that could be happening today
Reviewed in the United States on 17 April 2017
Format: Audio CDVerified Purchase
Added a great deal to my knowledge of a period of American history that is usually overshadowed by the Civil War and WWII. Well written and topical, because so much of this period of American history set the stage for what we saw in Vietnam and what we see today.
One person found this helpful
Report
==
Trevor Henke
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on 15 February 2021
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excellent viewpoint of an apparently older question than I knew. Expertly researched and entertaining in the authors story telling. History does indeed, repeat itself.
Report
D.W.
4.0 out of 5 stars This historical overview of the events leading to America's rise ...
Reviewed in the United States on 28 February 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This historical overview of the events leading to America's rise as an imperial power, was not as thought provoking as I had hoped. However, it was a good-read.
Report
No
1.0 out of 5 stars For your own mental health, do not read this book.
Reviewed in the United States on 26 September 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I would give this book negative stars if I could. This book is one of the worst pieces of "literature" I've ever had the displeasure of reading. The author is egregiously pretentious, he jumps around the timeline like a frog on LSD, and the subject material is written in an insultingly boring manner. I have often found myself rereading the same information given in redundant ways. Not to mention, he plugs in praise for the book right at the beginning, stroking his own ego. I wouldn't recommend this book to my worst enemy, as he would shrivel up and die a slow, agonizing death. Animals would turn feral upon gazing at this book. I will burn this as soon as it is convenient for me.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Barbara Turner
4.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had learned all this in school, really needs wide reading
Reviewed in the United States on 14 September 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I am a history buff of long standing but learned a lot from this book. Serious reading, not for just passing time.
Report
Eric Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential History
Reviewed in the United States on 18 September 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Interesting and thought-provoking read to understand Teddy, Twain, and the often times confusing duality of American foreign policy. Wish I would've had access to this book in college.
Report
Jimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars A well written historical account of went on during the ...
Reviewed in the United States on 31 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A well written historical account of went on during the late 1890's in the US, particularly in Washington. Henry Cabot Lodge, Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, McKinley, William Jennings Bryan, Hearst et al. The pros and cons of American intervention.
One person found this helpful
Report
John B. Gibson
1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I bought this book to learn more about President Roosevelt and Mark Twain. The authors profound bias against the President made that impossible. For example, President Roosevelt was not opposed to Sunday drinking. It was a law that lead to incredible corruption in the NYPD. If it was a law he would enforce it whether he agreed with it or not.
This was nothing more than a diatribe against US foreign interventions. Be that a bad or good idea, it was not the reason I paid for this volume. I may well read some of his other works, that hopefully will be more honestly titled.
4 people found this helpful
Report
A customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excellent. It was a deep dive on a subset of Overthrow book. The same theme. Well written.
Report
Vermont
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice review of a period of American History that gets ...
Reviewed in the United States on 10 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Very readable and informative. A nice review of a period of American History that gets little notice.
One person found this helpful
Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
It's an interesting perspective of a time that changed the direction of foreign policy.
Report
Kindle
$16.40
Available instantly
Audiobook
$14.95Available instantly
Read sample
Audible sampleThe public debate over American interventionism at the dawn of the 20th century is vividly brought to life in this "engaging, well-focused history" (Kirkus, starred review).
Should the United States use its military to dominate foreign lands? It's a perennial question that first raised more than a century ago during the Spanish American War. The country's political and intellectual leaders took sides in an argument that would shape American policy and identity through the 20th century and beyond.
Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and William Randolph Hearst pushed for imperial expansion; Mark Twain, Booker T. Washington, and Andrew Carnegie preached restraint. Not since the nation's founding had so many brilliant Americans debated a question so fraught with meaning for all humanity.
As Stephen Kinzer demonstrates in The True Flag, their eloquent discourse is as relevant today as it was then. Because every argument over America's role in the world grows from this one.
Read less
Print length
432 pages
Language
English
Product description
Review
"One could not ask for a timelier argument...Kinzer is right: the first debate over American empire at the end of the nineteenth century speaks to our own time."--The New York Review of Books
"A well-researched account, which also gestures toward subsequent U.S. interventions"--The New Yorker
"lively and very readable reconstruction of one of American history's most consequential debates....What's striking now is how much this century-old debate mirrors contemporary issues and positions"--Dallas
Morning News
"Important and lucid...Kinzer is an incisive historian of American foreign policy."--Christian Science Monitor
"[A] gripping narrative . . . Kinzer ably conveys the passion and ferment of this brief period, situating this grand debate in the context of U.S. foreign policy history and convincingly arguing that the imperial/anti-imperial dichotomy remains a dominant feature of the American psyche." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"In this engaging, well-focused history...Kinzer astutely brings the debate [over American imperialism] from the turn of the century to the present. A tremendously elucidating book that should be required reading for civics courses."--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"This straight-forward treatment of America's struggle to define its international posture is essential for readers at all levels as we continue this debate and wonder, 'Why don't they like us?'"--Library Journal (starred review)
"Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag is a marvelous and timely look at the rise of American imperialism at the turn of the twentieth century. All the big power players of the era - Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain among them - are analyzed cogently as intellectuals of great merit. An outstanding book!"
--Douglas Brinkley, author of Rightful Heritage: Franklin D. Roosevelt and the Land of America and professor of history, Rice University
"Even in the pages of a novel, it would be impossible to find more extraordinary characters than Theodore Roosevelt and Mark Twain. That these two men locked horns over one of the most fundamental issues facing a young nation is a stunning turn of events, one that Stephen Kinzer, through meticulous research and masterful writing, has turned into a fascinating, fast-paced narrative."
--Candice Millard, author of The River of Doubt, Destiny of the Republic, and Hero of the Empire
"At a moment when Americans are hotly debating their country's role in the world, Stephen Kinzer takes us back to the origins of the modern debate. His account of the battle between imperialists and anti-imperialists at the end of the nineteenth century is riveting, uplifting, dismaying--and as timely as can be."
--H. W. Brands, professor of history at the University of Texas at Austin and author of The General vs. the President: MacArthur and Truman at the Brink of Nuclear War
"In The True Flag, Stephen Kinzer gives us much more than the story of the birth of American dominion. He shows why we Americans were attracted to empire, how we have nurtured it to maturity, and what our choices are now. I thank him for helping me better understand how America acts in the world today."
--James Bradley, author of Flags of Our Fathers, The Imperial Cruise, and The China Mirage
"Stephen Kinzer's lively and incisive history takes us back more than a century to a fateful turning point: the moment when the United States first assumed the right to overthrow or build up regimes in distant parts of the globe. I hope American leaders will read this book and think long and hard about the warning it sounds." --Adam Hochschild, author of Spain in Our Hearts and King Leopold's Ghost
About the Author
STEPHEN KINZER is the author of The Brothers, Reset, Overthrow,All the Shah’s Men, and other books. An award-winning foreign correspondent, he served as Latin America correspondent for the Boston Globe and as the New York Times bureau chief in Nicaragua, Germany, and Turkey. He is a senior fellow at the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University and writes a column on world affairs for the Boston Globe. He lives in Boston.
Product details
ASIN : B01HW6Z3L0
Publisher : Henry Holt and Co.
Accessibility : Learn more
Publication date : 24 January 2017
Language : English
File size : 24.0 MB
Screen Reader : Supported
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 432 pages
ISBN-13 : 978-1627792172
==
From Australia
Helpful
yshoraka
5.0 out of 5 stars Very informativeReviewed in Australia on 5 January 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I found this book very informative. As people throughout should and can affect the policies of their government, this book is a must-read for everyone. Thereby, I highly recommend it.
HelpfulReport
From other countries
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars History they don’t teach in schoolReviewed in the United States on 18 December 2025
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Great read. Great author. Reads like a novel but Learned so much important history that I was never taught in school. I was so unclear about the era of the Spanish American War. You will be surprised. Another shameful blemish on US history.
Report
Sherri Cianca
5.0 out of 5 stars Every American Should KnowReviewed in Canada on 12 September 2023
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
If a country were a person, the US would be diagnosed as having a dissociative identity disorder. In this book Stephen Kinzer documents America's two conflicting personalities, one driven by capitalistic greed and love of war, the other by peace and love for humanities well being. The question remains "Can a nation so conceived, and so divided, long endure?"
Report
Amber Smithwhite
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative Historical perspective of USAReviewed in the United Kingdom on 31 May 2022
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Mark Twain, Samuel Clements, is one of my favourite writers so I enjoyed reading about his political viewpoint. Didn't know much about Teddy Roosevelt so was an interesting book for many people to get an insight to the American attitude to 'ruling' the world and acting as though they are the only country that counts on this planet.
Report
Kerry Timmins
5.0 out of 5 stars the train is funny and cleverReviewed in Germany on 22 July 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Good stories
Report
Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Luis de VelascoReviewed in Spain on 23 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excelente libro.Ahora con razón se habla de las mentiras de Trump.Antecedente:Teddy Roosevelt y compinches imperialistas.Trump y otros presidentes EEUU alumnos distinguidos.
Report
Translate review to English
D.
5.0 out of 5 stars arrived in excellent conditionReviewed in Canada on 23 August 2020
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
enjoyed the read
Report
Joel Marks
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting and timely history of the U.S.'s debut as a world powerReviewed in the United States on 24 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I am very glad to have read this book, even though it is written in a way that swings between pedestrian and sensationalist. There is no denying that Kinzer brings to the reader's attention an exceedingly interesting and important episode of U.S. history, about which most of us, I imagine, had not an inkling. I for one had not realized that a specific event (or set of events) over a century ago, and occurring in the space of just a couple of years, decided our fate as a world power.
In "The True Flag" we learn that, at the turn of the Twentieth Century, there was a fierce public debate about whether the U.S. should be involved militarily in international affairs only as a liberator or as a conqueror -- as an embodiment of the idea that all people are entitled to be self-governing, or as the colonizer of an empire. Various American idealists rallied to the former conception, while mercantile and "religious" interests defended the latter.
What makes this debate so interesting is that the "bad guys" really did have some persuasive arguments. They pointed out, first of all, that the supposed American ideal of self-governance completely ignores our (then very recent) history of snatching other people's territory in the creation of the country. They also argued that the people of other lands were not (today we would say "might not be") prepared to self-govern in an effective way. Finally, and no doubt the main engine of their motives, they argued that, with so many European countries grabbing colonies all over the world, if we didn't take what we could get, we would miss our chance to acquire economically and strategically important markets and bases of operation.
Meanwhile the anti-imperialists also offered a mix of high-sounding and pragmatic arguments. Aside from wanting the U.S. to stand out as a unique bastion of liberty for all the world, they also predicted that imperialist adventures would embroil us in endless strife and cause, rather than alleviate, humanitarian disasters.
The imperialists won the debate in practical terms, setting us on the course we follow to this day (albeit in modified form), but the anti-imperialists' predictions proved painfully on the mark, both in the short and long terms. Particularly our (mis)adventure in the Philippines was every bit the forerunner of the Vietnam debacle my generation thought was so unique. Overall this book (and its story) leaves one -- or at least an idealist like myself -- lamenting the lost opportunity the U.S. had to be truly unique on the world stage, rather than just another bullying power. Reading it coincides, also lamentably, with a different but related kind of disillusionment with this country due to the election of a demagogue as President.
By the way, the elevation of Mark Twain to shared top billing in the subtitle (and cover illustration) is misleading. Twain does not enter Kinzer's story with any significance until more than two thirds of the way through the book (page 178). Meanwhile, I would definitely have appreciated more in-depth background on the other principal anti-imperialists, such as Andrew Carnegie, Booker T. Washington, William Jennings Bryan, Carl Schurz, and George Frisbie Hoar. Again, I would not have known about their roles in this dramatic story without Kinzer's book, but the book treats them largely as characters who walk on stage for the imperialism debate, leaving us curious about just who these people were in their totality. The Imperialists get better coverage.
23 people found this helpfulReport
Thomas A. Regelski
3.0 out of 5 stars Of interest to those who don't know much about the ...Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 8 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Of interest to those who don't know much about the time period in question, but there's hardly any info (and, then, not until the ending chapters) about Twain's role in the politics of the time.
One person found this helpfulReport
==
From other countries
cassim bakharia
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 May 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Well Received - Great Item - Prompt Delivery - Thank You
Report
Pbiker
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the debates that will turn the USA around for all time!Reviewed in the United States on 17 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I consider myself to be very knowledgeable about US History. In fact I have read at least 10 books about TR. It is fair to say that I have been at least a fan, but more likely I/d describe myself as a Teddy devotee. This book showing the annexation of Cuba, Porto Rico (as the Senate called it) and the Phillipines reads like a Clive Cussler novel. The speeches made for the Imperialist forces versus the anti-imperialists was a mighty clash of philosophies. Roosevelt, Lodge, McKinley former Pres.Garfield wanted America to utilize it's Manifest Destiny. Samuel Gompers, Booker T. Washington Andrew Carnegie (who offered to pay the millions that the US was going to pay Spain for these outposts with the only condition was free elections by the Native population.). The there is the almost bizarre split-personality of William Jennings Bryan.He had the ability to sway the treaty ratification in the Senate. In a dramatic switch he announced that the US would be doing this ONLY until the country was "stabilized" then free elections would happen The treaty passed by one vote. Amazingly Bryan had a 2nd chance to defeat the annexation if only he would not raise "Free Silver" in his soon-to-come next presidential election. Carnegie was willing to pump millions into his campaign. McKinley would lose. Teddy Roosevelt would NOT be the VP of the USA. But Bryan could not let go of his "Cross of Gold" fanaticism. His omen dried up. McKinley, as you know, lost, was assassinated and Roosevelt, the true jingoist became the President who adopted the American empire climb into the superpower line-up. Fascinating Book. I left out one of the foremost anti-imperialists. Mark Twain, who once said, "God created war so that Americans could learn Geography!"
33 people found this helpfulReport
Jerome Brown
5.0 out of 5 stars The Author always does a great job !Reviewed in the United States on 10 June 2025
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
It’s politics and culture to a detailed degree.
Report
Katherine Cameron
5.0 out of 5 stars LONG BEFORE DONALD TRUMP....Reviewed in the United States on 18 April 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Every country has a "before and after" narrative - a critical turning point. For the USA, we frequently cite the Civil War or WWII. At these junctions, we had a choice, took a particular path, and changed the country profoundly. These were defining moments.
The True Flag pinpoints an entirely different junction - mid-way between the Civil War and WWII, at the turn of the 20th Century. This is the time when the entire country debated whether or not to become an imperialist power. The pawns in the game were Cuba, Puerto Rico and other Caribbean Islands, Hawaii, and the Philippines. The US successfully fought Spain to "free" these territories, but then had second thoughts.
Twain, Carnegie, and Hearst, championed self-governance for these far-flung lands, outside our existing borders. Teddy Roosevelt and Henry Cabot Lodge were on the other side, arguing for the US to become a strong world power. They persuaded President Mckinley. The True Flag focuses on the very short period of time during which this debate was engaged, and fatefully resolved.
Every bad thing you ever heard about the US war in the Philippines comes alive on these pages, and things you never heard. Ditto Cuba. The bitter surprise is that the debate came so close. On several occasions, the anti-imperialists lost by a singe vote. The whole country threw itself into this agonizing debate, much as it is doing now, with Trump. Digest this sad story, and a whole heck of a lot of our current political and international situations will suddenly make more sense. Tragic sense.
The True Flag is VERY well-written, a page turner, and a bitter-sweet story of what might have been. Despite our history of genocide, slavery, and other well-known depravities, the United States also had some important ideals and democratic principles imbedded in our Constitution - ideals that have inspired others throughout the world, and provided a corrective force to our nation's many missteps. Key among these principles is the idea that government should function by consent of the governed - the people.
When the imperialists won the debate at the end of the 19th century, arguing cynically that brown people were incapable of governing themselves, the American democratic experiment hung in the balance, then went down to defeat. We have McKinley, Teddy Roosevelt, and Henry Cabot Lodge to thank, long before Donald Trump arrived on the scene to trample the remnants.
19 people found this helpfulReport
Mr Oates' Willie
3.0 out of 5 stars Denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotismReviewed in the United States on 17 February 2022
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
The birth of jingoism. If you leave out manifest destiny, the American Indian wars & TX/Mexico.
I would have appreciated a few pages of how this debate continued between the Treaty of Paris 1898 & The treaty of Versailles 1919. I guess the answer is W Wilson & the Hall of Mirrors. Very timely, as 'we' approach Ukrainian conflict.
One person found this helpfulReport
Jim Lester
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent history of American foreign policyReviewed in the United States on 9 May 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This is an important and thought-provoking piece of history. Kinzer details the ideas and activities of American political leaders, led by Theodore Roosevelt, who wanted our country to expand America's overseas empire at the beginning of the 20th century. Their efforts were opposed by a group of anti-imperialists led by Mark Twain, who believed America would lose its soul if it seized other countries and tried to govern them.
According to Kinser, the broad outlines of this argument have formed the basis of America's foreign policy discussions for over a hundred years. The book is well written and the closing section on the nation's post-World War II foreign policy is worth the price of the book. I would highly recommend this book to any reader interested in American history or any reader searching for an explanation of our country's recent expansionist foreign policy.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Florian
5.0 out of 5 stars While reading Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag I listened to ...Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
While reading Stephen Kinzer's The True Flag I listened to Maurice Ravel's Bolero.
Somehow the music and the events match. The Bolero's incessant drive of sound resembles the powerful push for war and conquest the United States experienced during the years from 1898-1902. As documented in this book, it began with the Spanish-American War and proceeded with establishing an American Empire that included Hawaii, the Philippines, Guam, Cuba, and Puerto Rico.
There is never a shortage of reasonable persons who stand in opposition to U.S. wars of choice, but they seem to drown in the ever increasing crescendos of hypnotic war drums which will dominate across the country. With a current in the American psyche that gravitates toward action, and doing, and getting things done, foreign adventures appear to be tempting. Perhaps the autocratic temperament persists even in democracies, and
finds an outlet in orchestrating war, occupation, and colonial acquisition. For individual men with big egos and even bigger agendas, the processes of democratic government can be too pedestrian and too slow. Kinzer's finely crafted study, for this reader underscored by the forceful music of the Bolero, makes the hazards of such political patterns perfectly clear.
3 people found this helpfulReport
T Richards
2.0 out of 5 stars This was another hit job on America. The author’s unrelenting undermines credibilityReviewed in the United States on 19 July 2025
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I’m glad I read this book, as I learned much about how deeply divided our country was at the turn of the 20th century regarding how half of the country was adamantly devoted to the principles and the myths of our patriotic split from England, and the other half was pragmatic and bold about America’s role in the world. Aside from the unmistakable bias of the author, which the reader spots after about three pages, an objective perspective comes away that both sides were right in their own ways. My problem with this book was that it was a 300+ page Op Ed. I’m glad it was so short, I couldn’t have taken anymore. Knowing a lot about Roosevelt and the era generally, I found the presentation of facts so one-sided and biased, I had to question the author’s honesty, and his presentation of true facts. His motives were clear. Only the last chapter is there any glimmer of objectivity, but even then, it was drenched with cynical snap judgments condemning US more recent actions abroad in such a simplistic and conclusive manner that any student of history would know ignored the actual nuances and complexities of what was really happening at the time. Some of the cataclysmic causal connections the author can make in one sentence is actually laughable. The short shrift he gives to WWII and the Nazis (0%) is stunning, and blaming the Cold War completely on the American fear of Soviet aggression makes one angry this simplistic “fact” was in the last chapter. Had it been in the preface, it would have saved readers some time. And would have provided some tinder. The latter observation made me research this author, and I was not surprised by what I found. This was a “Hate America” book dressed up like objective reportage. It wasn’t objective in the slightest. Every instance of international suffering is blamed on America’s racist, saber-rattling, and insatiable quest for domination of the weak. Every.Single.One. I must give credit when credit is due. He can really turn a venomous phrase when piously rubbing America’s nose in what he thinks is it’s missteps. It was short. It’s always good when propaganda pamphlets don’t take that long to read. I’m glad I have this woke diatribe in the rear view mirror.
2 people found this helpfulReport
Sixthga
2.0 out of 5 stars Biased "History"Reviewed in the United States on 25 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I will leave comments re Kinzer's knowledge of the political history of the era to others. I will say, and I'm being charitable, that his take on the military history of the Cuban war, especially from the soldiers' perspective, is not his strength. His ignorance shows clearly when he describes U.S. military arms as superior to those of the Spanish. Most American troops, the state volunteers, were armed with antiquated single shot Springfield Trapdoor rifles of the Indian Wars era. U.S. regulares were armed with the modern Krag Jorgensen rifle but, like the Springfield, it fired a black powder cartridge which belched white smoke on firing, giving away U.S. positions. Likewise, U.S. artillery, in short supply in any event, also used black powder propellant making Spanish counter-battery fire accurate and remorseless. Spanish troops were armed with the superior Mauser rifle which fired modern smokeless powder. Spanish artillery, also smokeless, far outmatched that of the Americans. And then there were the modern machine guns behind Spanish barbed-wire. We were using gatling guns, a late Civil War invention. Kinzer shows his true colors when he describes the fighting as an American walk-over with no aspects of bravery or courage involved. Has he not read primary sources and soldiers accounts of the fighting? Brutal. Savage at times. Great bravey was shown by soldiers in both armies. Whatever TR's motivation for going to war, once he was in it he led from the front and demonstrated raw gourage. He led U.S. forces up Kettle Hill on horseback -- the only mounted officer in that charge. It is absolutely amazing that neither he nor his horse were hit. He only dismounted when he encountered wire at the top of the hill. Unfortunately, Kinzer apparently writes with a political agenda and his book suffers for it.
20 people found this helpfulReport
RK
4.0 out of 5 stars Continuing coverageReviewed in the United States on 12 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is a very good book about an important topic that, as Kinzer mentions, has been and will be debated forever. It is short enough that even a casual interest in American imperialism (especially in Cuba and the Philippines) will get you through to the end. I did think it odd that Twain occupies a space on the cover and in the title but is sparsely found in the text. Roosevelt has a larger role (naturally, as a man of consequence), but Kinzer focuses just as heavily on McKinley, Bryan, and Lodge--all of whom are worthy of discussion, if not as big of booksellers today.
The last chapter of the book departs from the 1898-1902 bulk and draws a continuous line from Roosevelt to Obama with details of many (failed) US foreign escapades. Kinzer is staunchly opposed to intervention but provides ample evidence to support his position.
4 people found this helpfulReport
==
From other countries
michael langsdorf
4.0 out of 5 stars The Genesis of US Hegemony
Reviewed in the United States on 5 February 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A succinct and quite readable history of the genesis of America's interventionism, beginning with the Spanish-American War in 1898. The author does an excellent job in analyzing the personality clashes and ensuing bitterness between "interventionist" and "non-interventionist" emerging schools of thought in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
The book inevitably raises the implicit--though never stated--question of what we never seem to learn from past--sometimes well-intentioned--overseas blunders, making one wonder why we never appear to derive any lessons from our own history.
The last 10-15% of the book is a bit polemical, and condenses about 120 of history into a few dozen pages, though the theme (and lesson) is clear.
For those who, like me, were largely unaware of the seminal implications of the Spanish-American War, and the concomitant bloody, merciless conquest of the Philippines, this is well worth reading.
11 people found this helpful
Report
Hrvoje
5.0 out of 5 stars The True Flag of America is Currently Empire
Reviewed in the United States on 13 July 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Stephen Kinzer has uncovered a story every American citizen must read. If you ever wondered at what point America became an empire, wonder no more. 1898 was the clarion call of empire consecrated with the false flag sinking of the USS Maine in Cuba wrongly blamed on Spain and skirmishes provoked by US soldiers against patriotic rebels in the Philippines.
He painstakingly details the speeches, debates and rhetoric coming out of the imperial and anti-imperial camp. Surprisingly, robber barons such as Andrew Carnegie were vocal anti-imperialists. The scene played out like House of Cards where senators and politicians traded favors in exchange for the "right" vote on the Treaty of Paris which would turn out to be the American Empire's birth certificate.
And the debate is as relevant today as it was in 1898. It is unfortunate that no such debate is currently taking place in the American Empire. Every Kinzer book is a must-read and perhaps this is his best yet!
5 people found this helpful
Report
Cody Popejoy
4.0 out of 5 stars An honest critique of the beginnings of American Imperialism
Reviewed in the United States on 21 November 2018
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A straightforward and clean read about the beginning of American Imperalism and the principle characters involved. The story pits the American Imperalists, hungry for Cuba and the Philippines against the Anti-Imperalists. Teddy Rosevelt for the former, and Mark Twain for the latter. America had a choice then, to mind their own business, or to go out, violently, in the name of Liberty, and sack other countries who attempted to do just that: liberate themselves. It is an irony that is still fundamental to American foreign policy today, sadly enough. A good read, not to dense, and sheds light on the America we know today.
Report
William J. Hecht
4.0 out of 5 stars An Important Book for Today not just history.
Reviewed in the United States on 3 June 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
An important book covering the beginning of the US's Imperial behavior overseas. it covers the period from the late 1890' through 1902 and includes our taking of Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines as part of the Spanish American war "spoils" plus Hawaii out of greed. The protagonists include TR, McKinley, Cabot Lodge, Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and a whole host of US leaders. Much of the discussion of our place in the world played out in a series of discussions nd Congressional actions which have in my reading been largely uncovered. We still live with the questionable legacy today.
One person found this helpful
Report
BobSculpt
4.0 out of 5 stars The Roots of USA Foreign Policy
Reviewed in the United States on 12 March 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book explores the evolution of the USA's foreign policy from 1898 to the present.
Among other things it presents a very different, and not appealing, view of Theodore Roosevelt.
It exposes the majority views of Americans as egotistical, racist, holier-than-thou and money-driven,
not only in 1898 but also today. Despite repeated evidence to the contrary, most Americans favor
intervention in other countries, believing it will benefit the US, while repeatedly it entangles us in multiple
problems, creates huge budget problems, and engenders hatred of the USA. Will we ever learn ?
7 people found this helpful
Report
Rkkjr
5.0 out of 5 stars a must read -- how the US went from being a model for the world to a master of imperialism
Reviewed in the United States on 10 May 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
An incredible book detailing the critical points in our history when we 'made a wrong turn' -- The Paris Agreements with Spain where we got Cuba, the Philipines and a few other islands - and how that re-inforced our mission to not rule, but safe and help the lower class peoples of the world find God and Democracy -- And how has that worked out!
Key roles of Teddy Roosevelt and others changed our future. Meanwhile, Mark Twain was railing against expansionism.
I cannot recommend this book more highly and it helps understand why the US is both loved and hated in the world today
3 people found this helpful
Report
Keith Raulli
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on 28 September 2020
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Interesting read not sure if many Americans want to admit how the country was founded but that is how it is/was & brought us to where we are now..
Report
KMcKay
4.0 out of 5 stars Not quite good to the last drop
Reviewed in the United States on 5 May 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This is a superb history of events in the US, Cuba and the Philipines following the end of the Spanish-American War, and I highly recommend it up through Chapter 10. He's wrong on almost every point he makes in Chapter 11.
One person found this helpful
Report
Dr. Doug
5.0 out of 5 stars We Never Learn!
Reviewed in the United States on 26 March 2018
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A clear & concise review of the development of U.S. foreign policy that led to such disasters as the wars in Vietnam, Iraq, & Afghanistan. Our leaders in Washington keep making the same mistakes because of their hubris & ignorance of history. I would suggest Trump read this book but due to his limited attention span he probably wouldn't make it past the cover. Are wars with Iran & North Korea in our future?
2 people found this helpful
Report
red riding hood
5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating piece of history -- explains a lot about U.S. foreign policy today
Reviewed in the United States on 15 August 2018
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This book reads like a novel in the sense that it is quite hard to put down. The characters are very lifelike, because the author has chosen to include parts of speeches and letters, showing the characters' thinking and reasoning on issues of the day. Mr. Kinzer's book about U.S. foreign policy from 1898 onward has added considerably to my understanding of current events. I highly recommend this book.
One person found this helpful
Report
==
rd
5.0 out of 5 stars I absolutely love this book
Reviewed in the United States on 22 June 2018
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I absolutely love this book! I am giving strong consideration to adding it to my class reading list in the Fall. Not only does Kinzer efficiently lay out America's move toward empire in the late 19th century, he does so in such a way as to allow the reader to see connections in American foreign policy and action throughout the 20th century and into the 21st.
Report
Beth7
5.0 out of 5 stars Who knew?
Reviewed in the United States on 12 February 2019
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
I think Kinzer is a wonderful writer. He brings you back into the scene of the US's fork in the road when the country could have stayed a republic or morphed into an empire. And it was this fateful turn, this choice made by certain elites that eventually contributed a great deal to our eventual loss of democracy.
Report
Steve Schramm
5.0 out of 5 stars it would be good to really consider these points
Reviewed in the United States on 29 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Everything old is new again -- all these arguments are the same ones we are having today (and had after WWII, and Korea, and Vietnam, and...). If you have any interest in our country and how it can or should behave relative to other countries in the world, definitely read this book. I wish we were having a national conversation as we had during these times; it would be good to really consider these points.
One person found this helpful
Report
David L. Pugh
5.0 out of 5 stars A great book and shameful American history.
Reviewed in the United States on 29 April 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
This book is one of two books this past year that affirmed my views on American history in a very negative perspective. The story of our mistreatment and subjugation of the Phillappenes is mind bogging. If you are ashamed of our mistreatment of native Americans you will be double or triply shocked by our treatment of the Philappeno people. Having said that, it is a terrific book and everybody should read it.
2 people found this helpful
Report
HappyManJK
5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Historical Perspective
Reviewed in the United States on 22 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This enlightening book will give pause to everyone who is concerned about the US presence in the world. Carefully researched and brilliantly written, it lays bare the geopolitical track of the US over the last 120 years. It is very informative and sometimes disturbing to face the reality of how the US has used its powerful position in the world. Thought provoking, the way a good history book should be.
One person found this helpful
Report
Robert
5.0 out of 5 stars It stands a great background as this nation once again tackles the issue ...
Reviewed in the United States on 21 July 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This work covered a period often overlooked by most treatments of US History. It stands a great background as this nation once again tackles the issue of immigration. The attitudes we have regarding our place in the world have deep roots. After reading "The True Flag" my opinion of Teddy Roosevelt is somewhat diminished while my appreciation of Mark Twain was bolstered.
Report
Bryan LeBlanc
4.0 out of 5 stars A must read for perspective on the debate we are ...
Reviewed in the United States on 1 July 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
A must read for perspective on the debate we are still having today about the influence of a relatively young democracy on the rest of the world. A lot of insight into turn-of-the-century politics that you probably haven't seen in many other places.
Report
Thomas Harrison
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative
Reviewed in the United States on 15 January 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I had to read this book for a university history class. It's well written and a page turner for sure. It shows the history and culture of American imperialism. To intervene or not, was what America was talking about in the late 1800s. Learned a lot, really good book.
Report
curtis purnell
5.0 out of 5 stars America's Fundamental Racist Foreign Policy
Reviewed in the United States on 25 February 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This a great book. I had no idea of how much my knowledge of US history was lacking. It was always hitting me with new facts that made me think. My ideal vision of the old history was proven wrong, today's politics has nothing on the players in 1890's. Every enlighting a great read
One person found this helpful
Report
Jylene Livengood
5.0 out of 5 stars and overlooked period of history that could be happening today
Reviewed in the United States on 17 April 2017
Format: Audio CDVerified Purchase
Added a great deal to my knowledge of a period of American history that is usually overshadowed by the Civil War and WWII. Well written and topical, because so much of this period of American history set the stage for what we saw in Vietnam and what we see today.
One person found this helpful
Report
==
Trevor Henke
5.0 out of 5 stars Good Read
Reviewed in the United States on 15 February 2021
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excellent viewpoint of an apparently older question than I knew. Expertly researched and entertaining in the authors story telling. History does indeed, repeat itself.
Report
D.W.
4.0 out of 5 stars This historical overview of the events leading to America's rise ...
Reviewed in the United States on 28 February 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
This historical overview of the events leading to America's rise as an imperial power, was not as thought provoking as I had hoped. However, it was a good-read.
Report
No
1.0 out of 5 stars For your own mental health, do not read this book.
Reviewed in the United States on 26 September 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
I would give this book negative stars if I could. This book is one of the worst pieces of "literature" I've ever had the displeasure of reading. The author is egregiously pretentious, he jumps around the timeline like a frog on LSD, and the subject material is written in an insultingly boring manner. I have often found myself rereading the same information given in redundant ways. Not to mention, he plugs in praise for the book right at the beginning, stroking his own ego. I wouldn't recommend this book to my worst enemy, as he would shrivel up and die a slow, agonizing death. Animals would turn feral upon gazing at this book. I will burn this as soon as it is convenient for me.
6 people found this helpful
Report
Barbara Turner
4.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had learned all this in school, really needs wide reading
Reviewed in the United States on 14 September 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I am a history buff of long standing but learned a lot from this book. Serious reading, not for just passing time.
Report
Eric Anderson
5.0 out of 5 stars Essential History
Reviewed in the United States on 18 September 2019
Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase
Interesting and thought-provoking read to understand Teddy, Twain, and the often times confusing duality of American foreign policy. Wish I would've had access to this book in college.
Report
Jimmer
5.0 out of 5 stars A well written historical account of went on during the ...
Reviewed in the United States on 31 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
A well written historical account of went on during the late 1890's in the US, particularly in Washington. Henry Cabot Lodge, Teddy Roosevelt, Mark Twain, McKinley, William Jennings Bryan, Hearst et al. The pros and cons of American intervention.
One person found this helpful
Report
John B. Gibson
1.0 out of 5 stars Worthless
Reviewed in the United States on 25 January 2020
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I bought this book to learn more about President Roosevelt and Mark Twain. The authors profound bias against the President made that impossible. For example, President Roosevelt was not opposed to Sunday drinking. It was a law that lead to incredible corruption in the NYPD. If it was a law he would enforce it whether he agreed with it or not.
This was nothing more than a diatribe against US foreign interventions. Be that a bad or good idea, it was not the reason I paid for this volume. I may well read some of his other works, that hopefully will be more honestly titled.
4 people found this helpful
Report
A customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Good read!
Reviewed in the United States on 28 April 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
Excellent. It was a deep dive on a subset of Overthrow book. The same theme. Well written.
Report
Vermont
4.0 out of 5 stars A nice review of a period of American History that gets ...
Reviewed in the United States on 10 March 2017
Format: HardcoverVerified Purchase
Very readable and informative. A nice review of a period of American History that gets little notice.
One person found this helpful
Report
Kindle Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United States on 21 October 2017
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
It's an interesting perspective of a time that changed the direction of foreign policy.
Report
No comments:
Post a Comment