eli5, what’s hegemony? And How does it differ from other forms of rule?

Question

eli5, what’s hegemony? And How does it differ from other forms of rule?

In: 17

Answer 1

A hegemony is the rule of one over others, coming from the Greek hegemon, meaning leader. So a hegemony isn’t a way of ruling a government, but the power dynamic between nations.

The US was arguably the military hegemon right after WWII, since they had atomic weapons and a large military. Once the Soviet Union had their own atomic weapons, then the US would’ve lost that title. But in the twilight of the Soviet Union, the US would’ve been an economic hegemon, as it had the single strongest/largest economy. Now, it’s less clear, as the European Union is a very strong economic bloc, and the PRC’s economy is also very strong/large.