The work Imperialism’ denotes a highly complex phenomenon. In this analysis George Ligitheim provides a historical survey of different kinds and phases of Imperialism so as to elicit the basic structure of the forces which constitute it. Intended not as an intellectual exercise but as ‘a contribution to an ongoing political discussion’, the survey deals with the genesis, growth and collapse of imperial power from the Roman Imperialism to the nuclear empires of the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R.