--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt…" description: "\"“Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who had already put the world through the wringer of two world wars in less than three decades, an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg" --- # Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who… ![“Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who had already put the world through the wringer of two world wars in less than three decades, and still yearned for the reconstitution of their repulsive empires, would now control America’s surplus was anathema to an anti-imperialist…” quote by Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg) > ““Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who had already put the world through the wringer of two world wars in less than three decades, and still yearned for the reconstitution of their repulsive empires, would now control America’s surplus was anathema to an anti-imperialist, patriotic New Dealer like White.”” [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote criticizes the paradox of anti‑imperialist Americans supporting European powers that had caused massive devastation, highlighting tension between ideals and economic realities. **In simple terms:** It points out the irony of anti‑imperialist Americans backing war‑torn Europe. Key Takeaway Recognize hidden economic motives behind political stances. Themes imperialism patriotism economics political paradox historical memory Mood critical reflective Type political historical analytical When to use this quote - policy analysis - public debate - academic discussion - media commentary Key Concepts anti‑imperialism nationalism economic dependence post‑war reconstruction Questions to Reflect On - How do economic interests shape political rhetoric? - Can anti‑imperialist values coexist with pragmatic foreign policy? A Different Perspective It may overlook the agency of American voters and the complexity of post‑war alliances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America Surplus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america-surplus-3849583/) [Anti Imperialist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anti-imperialist-934018/) [Bankrupt Europeans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bankrupt-europeans-3849581/) [Imperialist Patriotic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperialist-patriotic-3849582/) [Repulsive Empires](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repulsive-empires-3849584/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [We are revolutionary anti-imperialist resistance fighters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-rosenberg/we-are-revolutionary-anti-imperialist-resistance-fighters/) [Susan Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-rosenberg/) > [ The anti-imperialist, forces in the country \[Zimbabwe\] here, I think are not that strong. The capitalist forces, the reactionary forces are far more formidable,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mugabe/the-anti-imperialist-forces-in-the-country-zimbabwe-here-i-think-are/) [Robert Mugabe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mugabe/) > [These are the strategic dialectics of anti-imperialist struggle: through the defensive reactions of the system, the escalation of counterrevolution, the transformation of the political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrike-meinhof/these-are-the-strategic-dialectics-of-anti-imperialist-struggle/) [Ulrike Meinhof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrike-meinhof/) > [“The fact is that the system in the metropole reproduces itself through an ongoing offensive against the people’s psyche, not in an openly fascist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-army-faction/the-fact-is-that-the-system-in-the-metropole-reproduces-itself/) [Red Army Faction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-army-faction/) > [You always have regime-friendly poets like Muhammad Mahdi al-Jawahiri, whose career basically spans the twentieth century. He's an anti-imperialist, friendly with the Communists, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-colla/you-always-have-regime-friendly-poets-like-muhammad-mahdi-al-jawahiri/) [Elliott Colla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-colla/) > [I am an anti-imperialist. I am opposed to having the eagle put its talons on any other land.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-am-an-anti-imperialist-i-am-opposed-to-having-the-eagle-put-its/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [“The world," said Pavone, "will swing to the left. The whole world except America. The world will swing, not because people read Karl Marx,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/the-world-said-pavone-will-swing-to-the-left-the-whole-world-except/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a batter. Love is a war. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-does-not-begin-and-end-the-way-we-seem-to-think-it-does-love-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“People came to our house from far and wide. Party and military bigwigs, some guy known as the “combat commander,” the village headman, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/people-came-to-our-house-from-far-and-wide-party-and-military-bigwigs/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) ## More by Yanis Varoufakis > [“Forcing new loans upon the bankrupt on condition that they shrink their income is nothing short of cruel and unusual punishment. Greece was never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/forcing-new-loans-upon-the-bankrupt-on-condition-that-they-shrink/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Larry Summers is one such rare insider. His question to me was in fact an invocation to reject the lure of the outside. Underpinning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/larry-summers-is-one-such-rare-insider-his-question-to-me-was-in-fact/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The many refugees are not a Greek or German problem. They are a European problem. We should therefore develop a common strategy. That's why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-many-refugees-are-not-a-greek-or-german-problem-they-are-a/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“If you cannot imagine walking out of a negotiation, you should never enter it. If you cannot fathom the idea of an impasse you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/if-you-cannot-imagine-walking-out-of-a-negotiation-you-should-never/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [Had history been democratic in its ways, there would have been no farming and no indsturial revolution. Both leaps into the future were occasioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/had-history-been-democratic-in-its-ways-there-would-have-been-no/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [The economic crisis has weakened the EU for years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/the-economic-crisis-has-weakened-the-eu-for-years/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [We will compromise and compromise and compromise but we will never be compromised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/we-will-compromise-and-compromise-and-compromise-but-we-will-never-be/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Beneath the specific events that I experienced, I recognised a universal story – the story of what happens when human beings find themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/beneath-the-specific-events-that-i-experienced-i-recognised-a/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [Germany is Europe's heart. But bitterness is widespread. Currently the Germans hate the Greeks and the Greeks hate the Germans. The demonization of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/germany-is-europe-s-heart-but-bitterness-is-widespread-currently-the/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [I don't believe a Brexit will hurt the City of London as one of the largest financial centers in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/i-don-t-believe-a-brexit-will-hurt-the-city-of-london-as-one-of-the/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Whenever a politician in the know gives a journalist an exclusive in exchange for a particular spin that is in the politician’s interest, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/whenever-a-politician-in-the-know-gives-a-journalist-an-exclusive-in/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [European Union partners never said European Union partners're going to renege on any promises, European Union partners said that European Union partners promises concern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/european-union-partners-never-said-european-union-partners-re-going/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“When inordinate weight is loaded onto a flimsily constructed bridge, the weakest beam will break first.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/when-inordinate-weight-is-loaded-onto-a-flimsily-constructed-bridge/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Most Europeans like to think that American bankruptocracy is worse than its European cousin, thanks to the power of Wall Street and the infamous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/most-europeans-like-to-think-that-american-bankruptocracy-is-worse/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) > [“Austerity is a morality play pressed into the service of legitimizing cynical wealth transfers from the have-nots to the haves during times of crisis,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/austerity-is-a-morality-play-pressed-into-the-service-of-legitimizing/) [Yanis Varoufakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) [Explore all 63 Yanis Varoufakis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/) ## More War quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [For us who are now in power, we need to be challenged to serve the people and ignore our own egos and personal interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangari-maathai/for-us-who-are-now-in-power-we-need-to-be-challenged-to-serve-the/) [Wangari Maathai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangari-maathai/) > [“People came to our house from far and wide. Party and military bigwigs, some guy known as the “combat commander,” the village headman, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masaji-ishikawa/people-came-to-our-house-from-far-and-wide-party-and-military-bigwigs/) [Masaji Ishikawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masaji-ishikawa/) > [Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a batter. Love is a war. Love is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-does-not-begin-and-end-the-way-we-seem-to-think-it-does-love-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The history of mankind interests us only as it exhibits a steady gain of truth and right, in the incessant conflict which it records…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-history-of-mankind-interests-us-only-as-it-exhibits-a-steady-gain/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“The world," said Pavone, "will swing to the left. The whole world except America. The world will swing, not because people read Karl Marx,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/the-world-said-pavone-will-swing-to-the-left-the-whole-world-except/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I don't want to go into space because of war. I think we would if it was triggered. If China said they want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/i-don-t-want-to-go-into-space-because-of-war-i-think-we-would-if-it/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [“Fear and desire for pleasure. Aggressiveness comes out of fear, predominantly, and sexuality predominantly out of the other. But they mix in the middle.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/fear-and-desire-for-pleasure-aggressiveness-comes-out-of-fear/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“Peace requires a discipline more iron than war. - Easter, 1939 ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-j-turner/peace-requires-a-discipline-more-iron-than-war-easter-1939/) [W.J. Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-j-turner/) [Browse all 38,922 War quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who had already put the world through the wringer of two world wars in less than three decades, and still yearned for the reconstitution of their repulsive empires, would now control America’s surplus was anathema to an anti-imperialist, patriotic New Dealer like White.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yanis Varoufakis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt-europeans-who-had-already-put/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "War" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt-europeans-who-had-already-put/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/194/yanis-varoufakis-10824_war_nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt_1237373.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt Europeans, who had already put the world through the wringer of two…” — Yanis Varoufakis", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Yanis Varoufakis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanis-varoufakis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Nevertheless, the idea that the bankrupt...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt-europeans-who-had-already-put/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanis-varoufakis/nevertheless-the-idea-that-the-bankrupt-europeans-who-had-already-put/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```