hegemony

Hegemony is derived from the Ancient Greek verb hegeomai, which means "to lead" (in a physical sense) and "to wield authority." The Wikipedia defines hegemony as "the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that the terms of trade are dictated by the dominant party to its advantage, or more broadly, that cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group." Or in other words, somebody gets the upper hand on somebody else.

"Cultural" hegemony is in itself a fascinating study, but I am more interested in hegemony's sociopolitical aspects. I suppose the Roman Empire could be disqualified because it was merely the greatest power in a world all but totally ignorant of the contemporaneous Chinese empire; likewise Russia's hegemony could be more accurately described as a stint as the policeman of post-Napoleonic Europe. At the same time, these two imperial superpowers afford the most profitable comparison with America's experience as a superpower.