How America Became a Global Superpower Essay

The reefer States of the States is the populaces last remaining superpower. However, this was not al managements the case. The united States toiled in relative obscurity on a world(a) musical scale for most of its history. As the world evolved, so too did the young nation. The joined States attempted to dumbfound out of world affairs, however a magazine came when that was no longer possible. Necessity dictated that the fall in States bring about a study player at the globular level. The linked States entered into piece struggle II a great power and emerged a planetary superpower.What is a superpower?In order to properly examine the events that led to the matter of the united States as a superpower it is important to understand just what constitutes a nation gaining the status of that title. According to Lyman Miller of the Stanford Journal of world(a) Relations, A superpower is a country that has the capacity to project tyrannical power and enamour everywhere in the world, and sometimes, in more than unrivaled region of the globe at a time, and so may likely attain the status of global (2006). in that location switch been many global superpowers throughout history. The coupled Kingdom, France, Germany, the Soviet Union, and the linked States put one across all exhausted significant time in the past as global superpowers.The violate of the Soviet Union allowed the unify States to become the merely nation with a legitimate claim to the title of global superpower. However, there are an early(a)(prenominal) nations that may be able to lay claim to the title at some point in the future. perchance the most visible, and closest, of these countries is the Peoples Republic of China. Over the past 20 long time, China has grown into both(prenominal) a military and economic power. China has the second heavy(a)st GDP in the world, next to the unite States, according to the International Monetary Fund. However, Miller doesnt seem to beli eve China will be evolving anytime soon. At a broader level, in global affairs, its stature and power are growing, but in most respects it remains a regional power, complementing the cast of otherwise great powers under the overarching dominance, however momentary, of the unite States (Miller, 2006).Focus on national IssuesThe unify States stayed out of foreign affairs throughout most of the nineteenth century and the first fr work onal(prenominal) of the 20th century. These policies actually served the country preferably well as the young nation had many domestic tasks that essential to be resolved before it could take a prominent side of meat in global affairs. This did not stop the United States from intervening when it was necessary. deflexion from this, the citizens of the United States did not really have the stomach for foreign powers. This could maybe not be offend stated than it was by George Washington, the first chairwoman of the United States, in his farthe stewell address in 1796. The great run of conduct for us in regard to foreign nations is in extending our mercenary relations, to have with them as little political connection as possible. So far as we have already formed engagements, let them be fulfilled with perfect good faith. Here let us stop. atomic number 63 has a set of primary interests which to us have none or a very remote relation. Hence she must be active in frequent controversies, the causes of which are essentially foreign to our c at oncerns. Hence, therefore, it must be unwise in us to implicate ourselves by artificial ties in the ordinary vicissitudes of her politics, or the ordinary combinations and collisions of her friendships or enmities.The first major problem the United States wanted to tackle was the belief that the country was destined to hyperbolise across the continent. This led to a focus on expansion. The dream began with doubting Thomas Jeffersons purchase of the Louisiana Territory. This purchase doubled the size of the United States. Between 1811 and 1912 the United States went from 17 to 48 states spanning from the Atlantic Ocean to the peace-loving Ocean. It took 100 years, but the United States dream of manifest destiny was realized. (World Book, 2011) superstar issue which evolved from the nations rapid expansion and precluded the United States from comme il faut entangled in global affairs was the countrys relationships with native-born Americans. The United States would move Native Americans come to of their land and moved them to reservations. It was a very tenuous relationship.thither were other issues within the ensuing years. The most significant of these problems was the Civil struggle. Between 1861 and 1865 the United States was locked in a brutal Civil state of war. South Carolina seceded from the union on December 20, 1860. Ten other southern states (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi in January Arkansas, northeasterly Carolina, Tenne ssee, Texas, and Virginia later in 1861) followed South Carolinas lead and formed the unify States of America. Over the next four years Americans killed to each one other in combat. This resulted in over 600,000 American deaths. The Civil struggle remains the deadliest war (in terms of American deaths) in United States history. The war did have a couple of positive outcomes. The war preserved the United States. Additionally, the war led to the abolishment of slavery. (World Book, 2011)The Civil warfare led straight off to other major issue. The issue of reconstruction was not just about(predicate) rebuilding the ravaged the south, but similarly rebuilding the nations unity. Laws were passed to allow African-Americans to have the same opportunities as sportsmanlike Americans, though they often werent enforced. Former Confederate states were required to sign up the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments to the Constitution in order to be readmitted to the Union (World Book, 2011). r econstructive memory stop in 1877, 12 years after the Civil war ended.Communication ProblemsDomestic problems were not the only things standing in the way of the United States becoming a world power. There were numerous communion barriers that prevented the United States from having any significant crook on issues of a global scale. The most obvious of these issues is the proximity of the United States to the other Great Powers of the world. There are hundreds of miles of ocean surrounded by the United States and Europe and Asia across the Atlantic and Pacific respectively. Until the advent of the telegraph the only form of communication between the new world and the old world was via letter or individual(prenominal) contact. Communication in this manner could take weeks to complete.Superpower AbilityThere were many positive things happening domestically for the United States. The United States has a varied climate, a diverse nub of natural resources, and geographic barriers that settle it more difficult to attack the country. These issues placed the United States in a unique invest to become a global superpower.The climate of the United States gives it the ability to grow several different types of crops. Corn grows in the plains, cotton fiber in the south, and dairy in the north. It also allows for many different types of animals co-exist as there are several different items for them to graze on. This gives the Unites States the ability to reliably feed its entire populace, at least at the current existence levels.The United States also has a plentiful supply of natural resources. These resources include both renewable resources, such as the aforementioned food and animals, and a wide array of nonrenewable resources, such as coal, oil, and metals. The vast amount of natural resources have allowed the United States to create an economic infrastructure that is adapted of sustaining the populace without outside assistance from other nations.While the nations geographic barriers have made it harder to communicate with other world powers (at least initially), they also arrest it harder for a country to maintain a sustained offensive against the United States. It is hard to keep supply lines stocked when the venue of war is halfway across the globe. Most countries do not have the resources to keep up that type of attack for an extended period of time, and even fewer have the ability to maintain an occupying force over the course of several years to combat insurrection.Effect of WarWars had a profound effect on the emergence of the United States as a global superpower. Not only did these wars show that the United States had a military worthy of global recognition, but they also helped to give the United States more clout on the world political stage. World War I and World War II probably had the largest effect, but the Korean and Vietnam Wars, while smaller in size, had large effects on the United States sphere of influence. T his gave Americans the wherewithal to become more involved in world politics.World War I was the first major overseas conflict in which the United States became involved. The United States attempted to stay out of the war. When German submarines began sinking United States merchant vessels shipping supplies to Europe, however, it became infeasible for the United States to maintain its neutrality. These and other acts of aggression convinced Wilson and other Americans of the pick up to join the war against Germany to make the world safe for democracy (World Book, 2011). The United States joining the war was fair to middling to tip the scale in the associate favor. A little over a year and a half after the United States joined World War I it ended with the surrender of the Central Powers. The European countries in the war spent nigh 60% of their GDP on the war. This number was much lower for the United States. This gave the United States a much needed economic boost over the Euro pean powers. (World Book, 2011)After World War I there was a relatively short lived peace between the powers. In the late 1930s war sentiments in Europe began brewing again. In 1939 Germany invaded Poland sparking World War II. Again the United States took a militarily neutral stance. They did support the ally (the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union) against the Axis Powers (Germany, Italy, and Japan) economically by direct supplies. Some American soldiers even volunteered to go fight for the United Kingdom. It once again took an unprovoked act of aggression (this time Japans sneak attack on Pearl Harbor) to provoke the United States to join the conflict. While the United States intervention in World War I helped secure an allied victory, the United States intervention in World War II helped change the course of the entire war.The United States did not take back back into isolation next World War II unconnected the end of World War I. With most of the combat happening in Europe , Africa, and Asia the United States again suffered very little damage to their infrastructure. Europe was sooner the opposite. With 2 major conflicts in less than 50 years European infrastructure was decimated. Japan was forbidden from keeping a large enough standing military to have any true significance on a global level thanks to their treaty with the United States. The Soviet Union stopped cooperating with the western Allies before the ink was run dry on the peace treaties ending the war. The Soviets refused to unite their portion of Germany with the rest of the country, in effect splitting the country in two.The chilly War had begun.The Cold War necessitated that the United States remain on the forefront of global affairs because uncomplete France nor the United Kingdom were in a position, economically or militarily, to campaign against the Soviet threat. While the Cold War didnt have any direct combat between the two remaining superpowers, the United States and the Sovie t Union, it did have conflict. The United States was involved in combat in Korea (which resulted in the split of Korea into two countries) and Vietnam. The Soviets were involved in combat in Afghanistan. The Cold War caused the United States to continue its military growth. As seen in the following chart, National Defense expenditures peaked in 1954 at almost 70 percent of the nations total budget (U.S. Government, 2009).Global regulateThe size of the United States military put them in a position of global dominance, but it takes more than a large military to become a global power. It also takes influence in foreign matters. This is another thing the United States has developed over the two and a half centuries since being founded. There have been more than a few global matters that the United States has influenced other than wars.After World War I the coalition of Nations was formed. While United States President Woodrow Wilson was an advocate of the League the United States Sena te was not. They voted floor the motion for the United States to join the League of Nations. Many Americans believe that had the United States joined the League of Nations it would not have failed. This could have helped stop the national socialist spread through Eastern Europe. Decisions made by the United States influence the economies of every nation on earth. The world also looks to the United States for action in times of need. I think that the authorities would do better to sit down with Ambassador Thomas and take advantage of whatever voluntary help the only superpower in the world forthwith has to offer the Philippines to put a stop to the worldwide problem of women trafficking (Vitas, 2011).Without the United States the spread of communism would have continued unabated following World War II. To this end the United States helped to create the North Atlantic treaty Organization to create the Soviet Unions Warsaw Pact. This helped to interpret the safety of democracy for the world. It also helped to curb the spread of communism.The United States also sets the tone culturally. Hollywood is the predominant film industry in the world. Perhaps the area where the United States had the largest cultural impact on a worldwide scale was with regards to space. It was a large achievement for all members of the human go when the Americans landed on the moon.ConclusionThe United States went into World War II as a world power and emerged as one of two superpowers. There were many things leading up to the nations emergence. The United States has the worlds largest economy, largest military, and the decisions made by its President have far reaching impacts. It has given the country a large sphere of influence that is still evident in the world today.ReferencesEinhorn, R. L., & Schulman, B. J. (2011). History of the united states. In World Book AdvancedRetrieved from http//www.worldbookonline.com/advanced/article?id=ar576000 Imf Report for selected countries. (201 1, September). Retrieved from http//www.imf.org/ outdoor(a)/pubs/ft/weo/2011/02/weodata/weorept.aspx Miller, L. (2006). China an emerging superpower? Stanford Journal ofInternational Relations, Retrieved from http//www.stanford.edu/ sort/sjir/6.1.03_miller.html U.S. Government. (2009). The budget for fiscal year 2009, historical tables. Retrieved from U.S. Government Printing mooring 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 cursory 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