How did the United States become the world’s largest power?
In: 3
Economically and manufacturing are supported by the largest chunk of arable land and a massive internal shipping network due to the Mississippi river and her tributaries and feeds. So transport is super cheap and food is abundant. Also they can’t be attacked by land.
As for their place in the world, WW2 is key. At the end of the war the US was in the best position globally. Minimal loss of life and massive non ruined industrial base and infrastructure. No one was ready for anything in anyway compared to the US. Massive loss of life and infrastructure as well as manufacturing base left Europe, north Africa and the pacific without the ability to do much but rebuild.
Further to cement this power, rather than conquer like almost any other power would have done in this position the US simply said hey, can we write your security policy? If you let us we’ll give you access to the whole world for trade and stuff. Oh and the security policy is be against the soviet union and communism, easy right?
And thus our reality as we know it for the last 70 years was born.
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