How America Became a Global Superpower
How America Became a Global Superpower
Joshua Vann
HIS204
Instructor Jamie Weitl
November 14, 2011
How America Became a Global Superpower The United States of America is the world 's last remaining superpower. However, this was not always the case. The United States toiled in relative obscurity on a global scale for most of its history. As the world evolved, so too did the young nation. The United States attempted to stay out of world affairs, but a time came when that was no longer possible. Necessity dictated that the United States become a major player at the global level. The United States entered into World War II a great power and emerged a global superpower.
What is a superpower? In order to properly examine the events that led to the emergence of the United States as a superpower it is important to understand exactly what constitutes a nation gaining the status of that title. According to Lyman Miller of the Stanford Journal of International Relations, “A “superpower” is a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global (2006)”. There have been many global superpowers throughout history. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States have all spent significant time in the past as global superpowers. The collapse of the Soviet Union allowed the United States to become the only nation with a legitimate claim to the title of global superpower. However, there are other nations that may be able to lay claim to the title at some point in the future. Perhaps the most visible, and closest, of these countries is the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 20 years, China has grown into both a military and economic power. China has the second largest GDP in the world, next to the United States, according to the International Monetary Fund. However, Miller doesn’t
Joshua Vann
HIS204
Instructor Jamie Weitl
November 14, 2011
How America Became a Global Superpower The United States of America is the world 's last remaining superpower. However, this was not always the case. The United States toiled in relative obscurity on a global scale for most of its history. As the world evolved, so too did the young nation. The United States attempted to stay out of world affairs, but a time came when that was no longer possible. Necessity dictated that the United States become a major player at the global level. The United States entered into World War II a great power and emerged a global superpower.
What is a superpower? In order to properly examine the events that led to the emergence of the United States as a superpower it is important to understand exactly what constitutes a nation gaining the status of that title. According to Lyman Miller of the Stanford Journal of International Relations, “A “superpower” is a country that has the capacity to project dominating power and influence anywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than one region of the globe at a time, and so may plausibly attain the status of global (2006)”. There have been many global superpowers throughout history. The United Kingdom, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the United States have all spent significant time in the past as global superpowers. The collapse of the Soviet Union allowed the United States to become the only nation with a legitimate claim to the title of global superpower. However, there are other nations that may be able to lay claim to the title at some point in the future. Perhaps the most visible, and closest, of these countries is the People’s Republic of China. Over the past 20 years, China has grown into both a military and economic power. China has the second largest GDP in the world, next to the United States, according to the International Monetary Fund. However, Miller doesn’t
References: Einhorn, R. L., & Schulman, B. J. (2011). History of the united states. In World Book Advanced Retrieved from http://www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar576000 Imf: Report for selected countries. (2011, September). Retrieved from http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/weorept.aspx Miller, L. (2006). China an emerging superpower? Stanford Journal of International Relations, Retrieved from http://www.stanford.edu/group/sjir/6.1.03_miller.html U.S. Government. (2009). The budget for fiscal year 2009, historical tables. Retrieved from U.S. Government Printing Office website: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/omb/budget/fy2009/pdf/hist.pdf Vitas, H. M. (2011, November 15). The revelation of the real harry thomas. Philippine Daily Chronicle. Retrieved from http://campus.westlaw.com/ Washington, G. (1796). George washington farewell address 1796. Retrieved from http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/washing.asp