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population size was certainly a factor, but the main reason the us became the largest super power was that it was the only major developed country that was not
by ryanx435 11y ago
population size was certainly a factor, but the main reason the us became the largest super power was that it was the only major developed country that was not bombed to crap during world War ii. being isolated by two large oceans is a great advantage.
- Xixi 11y agoI don't think Germany is less developed than US today by any meaningful measure, despite having been essentially destroyed and then cut in two for half a century. I would even argue that most of Northern Europe (Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, etc.) is more advanced than US, at least for things I care about: affordable healthcare and education, low criminality, etc. But all in all when it comes to "might", to being a superpower, it just doesn't add up. Size does matter. The EU is in the correct league, but in my opinion it's not heading in the right direction: I'd rather a much smaller, much more integrated EU, with unified defense, budget, administration, etc. The United States of Europe, in short. On the other hand you could argue that without WWI and WWII, France and UK could have kept their respective empires united. I'll readily admit that I'm not particularly fond of colonization (unless we are talking about the video game, the first one), but you could certainly make the numbers add up.