World domination is a hypothetical power structure, either achieved or aspired to, in which a single

social or political authority holds the power over virtually all the inhabitants of the planet Earth.
Various individuals or regimes have tried to achieve this goal throughout history, without ever
attaining it. The theme has been often used in works of fiction, particularly in political fiction, as
well as in conspiracy theories, particularly those fearing the development of a "New World Order"
involving a world government of a totalitarian nature. Social and political ideologies Historically,
world domination has been thought of in terms of a nation expanding its power to the point that all
other nations are subservient to it. This may be achieved by establishing an hegemony, an indirect
form of government and of imperial dominance in which the hegemon rules geopolitically
subordinate states by means of its implied power - by the threat of force, rather than by direct
military force. However, domination can also be achieved by direct military force. In the 4th
century BCE, Alexander the Great notably expressed a desire to conquer the world, and a legend
persists that after he completed his military conquest of the known ancient world, he "wept
because he had no more worlds to conquer". However, Alexander "knew nothing of the great
empire of China, and nothing, of course, about the civilizations that were developing in Central and
South America". However, with the full size and scope of the world known, it has been said that
"orld domination is an impossible goal", and specifically that "o single nation however big and
powerful can dominate a world" of well over a hundred interdependent nations and billions of
people. An opposite view expressed Hans Morgenthau. He stressed that the mechanical
development of weapons, transportation, and communication makes "the conquest of the world
technically possible, and they make it technically possible to keep the world in that conquered
state. Its lack was the reason why great ancient empires, though vast, failed to complete universal
conquest of their world and perpetuate the conquest. Now, however, this is possible. Technology
undoes both geographic and climatic barriers. Today no technological obstacle stands in the way
of a world-wide empire, as modern technology makes it possible to extend the control of mind
and action to every corner of the globe regardless of geography and season. Morgenthau
continued on the technological progress: In the early 17th century, Sir Walter Raleigh proposed that
world domination could be achieved through control of the oceans, writing that "whosoever
commands the sea commands the trade; whosoever commands the trade of the world commands
the riches of the world, and consequently the world itself". In 1919, Halford John Mackinder offered
another influential theory for a route to world domination, writing: Some proponents of ideologies
actively pursue the goal of establishing a form of government consistent with their political beliefs,
or assert that the world is moving "naturally" towards the adoption of a particular form of
government, authoritarian or anti-authoritarian. These proposals are not concerned with a
particular nation achieving world domination, but with all nations conforming to a particular social
or economic model. A goal of world domination can be to establish a world government, a single
common political authority for all of humanity. The period of the Cold War, in particular, is
considered to be a period of intense ideological polarization, given the existence of two rival blocs the capitalist West and the communist East - that each expressed the hope of seeing the triumph
of their ideology over that of the enemy. The ultimate end of such a triumph would be that one
ideology or the other would become the sole governing ideology in the world. In certain religions,
some adherents may also seek the conversion of as many people as possible to their own religion,
without restrictions of national or ethnic origin. This type of spiritual domination is usually seen as
distinct from the temporal dominion, although there have been instances of efforts begun as holy
wars devolving into the pursuit of wealth, resources, and territory. In Christianity, one
eschatological view is that a false religion, led by false prophets who achieve world domination by
inducing nearly universal worship of a false deity, is a prerequisite to end times described in the
Book of Revelations. As one author put it, "f world domination is to be obtained, the masses of little
people must be brought on board with religion". In some instances, speakers have accused nations
or ideological groups of seeking world domination, even where those entities have denied that this
was their goal. For example, J. G. Ballard quoted Aldous Huxley as having said of the United States
entering the First World War, "I dread the inevitable acceleration of American world domination
which will be the result of it all...Europe will no longer be Europe". More recently, Geert Wilders
argued in 2012 that "Islam is an ideology aiming for world domination rather than a religion", and
in 2008 characterized the 2008 IsraelGaza conflict as a proxy action by Islam against the West,
contending that "he end of Israel would not mean the end of our problems with Islam, but only...
the start of the final battle for world domination". See also Superpower, a state with a leading
position in the international system and the ability to influence events in its own interest by global
projection of power. Hyperpower, a state that dominates all other states in every sphere of activity,
and is traditionally considered to be a step higher than a superpower. Global governance, the
political interaction of transnational actors. List of largest empires by maximum extent of land area

occupied. Mad scientist, a fictional archetype of a scientist, engineer, or professor who is

considered "mad" a synonym for insane and often depicted as having a desire to "take over the
world". Technocracy, a form of organizational structure or system of governance where decision
makers are selected on the basis of technological knowledge. Americanization Singleton, a
hypothetical world order in which there is a single decision-making agency at the highest level,
capable of exerting effective control over its domain.