从“自由灯塔”到“世界领袖”:两次世界大战与美国人国际角色认知的转变

From“Freedom Lighthouse”to“World Leader”:Two World Wars and the Change of Americans’Cognition of International Role

从18世纪晚期到20世纪初期,美国精英们虽然抱有以共和主义改造世界的理想,但相信美国应该专注于国内的“共和实验”,以榜样的力量而非对外干预行动来影响世界,扮演“自由灯塔”而非“自由十字军”的角色。一战爆发后,威尔逊试图重塑美国人的国际认知,说服民众放弃孤立主义并支持美国在战后发挥世界领导作用,但没有成功。到二战结束时,美国朝野终于达成共识,认识到美国不应该满足于做“自由灯塔”,还应该成为战后的“世界领袖”,承担起领导世界实现和平与繁荣的责任。美国精英们对美国国际角色认知的改变既是美国实力迅速增长和国际环境巨变的结果,更与两次世界大战的教训有关。特别是二战的悲剧使美国民众意识到,美国的安全和繁荣与外部世界息息相关,美国有必要通过对国际事务的主导塑造有利于美国的世界环境。美国从此走上了全球干涉和霸权护持之路,对美国自身和整个世界都产生深远影响。

From the late 18th century to the early 20th century,although American elites had the ideal of transforming the world with republicanism,they believed that the United States should focus on the domestic“republican experiment”,influence the world with the power of example rather than external intervention,and play the role of“freedom beacon”rather than“freedom crusader”.After the outbreak of World War I,Wilson tried to reshape Americans’international cognition,persuade people to give up isolationism and support the United States to play a leading role in the world after the war,but failed.By the end of World War II,the ruling and opposition parties in the United States finally reached a consensus that the United States should not be sat⁃isfied with being a“beacon of freedom”,but should also become a“world leader”after the war and assume the responsibility of leading the world to achieve peace and prosperity.The change of American elites’cognition of American international role is not only the result of the rapid growth of American strength and the great changes in the international environment,but also related to the lessons of the two world wars.In particular,the tragedy of World War II made the American people realize that the security and prosperity of the United States are closely related to the outside world,and it is necessary for the United States to shape a world environment conducive to the United States by leading international affairs.Since then,the United States has embarked on the road of global interference and hegemonic protection,which has a far-reaching impact on the United States itself and the whole world.