How did U.S. become a world leader?

Question

I'd like to know how the U.S. became a world learder, what specifc events gave us such a reputation.

Answer 1

World War Two...the dropping of the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, specifically. Those two bombs led to the Japanese surrender in the war. From the end of World War Two until 1991, there were two major world powers, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR or Soviet Union) was the other. The USSR was a communist state that collapsed from inside in 1991. That left the USA as the sole world leader.

Answer 2

Because when someone asked for a leader to step forward, everybody else took one step back.

Seriously, the US became *the* defacto Western power at the end of WW2 (Sept 1945). Our allies in Europe were so economically and physically damaged by the war that they could not exert much, if any leadership. The Axis powers were destroyed -- only the USSR could compete for leadership, which it did until 1989 when it self-imploded. Today, Russia is a leader only because of its military capabilities.

In 1945, the United Nations charter was signed (in San Francisco), and the US, UK, USSR, China and France - the victors in WW2 - became the permanent members of the Security Council. That is political leadership.

Our economy has grown to be the largest in the world - it is now more than $12.5 Trillion dollars, and grows about 3-4% per year, giving us an economic market that every country around the world wants to sell into, and the tax base to build a large military.
That is economic leadership.

The US federal gov't spends more than $2.8 trillion in the federal budget. Taxpayers pay more than $2.4 trillion dollars each year to the federal government. That is spending and taxation leadership.

For many years since WW2, the United States has intervened directly and indirectly in countries at war - Korea, Vietnam, Angola, and now the Middle East. You can argue the reasons, but when the US commits troops, it is exercising power thru its military. Just for reference, in the 2007 federal budget, the US Dept of Defense will spend $446 trillion on military spending. That is military leadership.

Leadership has not been due single events - it has been occurred along a path covering more than 60 years.

Keep your eye on China - with more than 1 billion people, their economy (GDP) could surpass that of the US, by 2050.

Answer 3

After the Spanish American war ,the U.S.A. a new Republic got a hold of the vast Spanish lands ,from the caribbean to the Phillipines also the purchase of Alaska, the weapons, the military, the 2nd world war really put the U.S.A. in a powerfull position above other more older countries, then the Declaration of Independence made the U.S.A. what is reall suppose to be. This is a most powerfull document ever written this side of the Ocean.

Answer 4

It started with the build up of industry to expand across the continent. Building steel and chemical industry. The large open spaces encouraged people to spread out and look for riches of which there were and are many even to this day. Just think of the 2 Trillion barrels of oil we have in West Colorado shale.
Then we started building a navy in the late 19th century, and flexing our muscles.
At the same time we were so far removed from the rest of the world it was virtually impossible to attack us, so we were able to keep building without ever having things destroyed. The English did more of that to us than anyone else, but their very long supply lines finally ruined that.
We started mass production of guns, then automobiles and things just kept moving higher and higher.
As the population grew, their appetite for new tech products kept fueling our industry until our GNP became the biggest in the world.
Gorbachev was the first Soviet to understand, that not our weapons, but our economy was unbeatable.
And as long as we retain the largest economy, we'll be the big dog, but China and India will be catching up fast, as they are copying our economic model, and they have larger populations, AND the biggest problem, our young people are more interested in believing and faith, rather than learning about and using science, and they will piss our lead away, with us ending up a third world power. The End.....

Answer 5

The industrial revolution!
We put the world into a new industrial state and we became the innovators for nearly everything worthwhile from 1850 on
Even the things the US did not invent, it made better, cheaper and more available.
On social issues, we became (and STILL ARE!) the largest givers on the planet!
We help out those who are oppressed (if the end is politically advantageous, that is).

These are the things that made us a 'world leader'

in every town you will find that the rich guy is a 'leader', too.

Answer 6

I'd say after Pearl Harbour, when the US got into the European side of things, it was the beginning. In a sense, the US profited from WWII because it had stayed on the sidelines so long--and therefore came in strong, while Britain and the other allies were pretty battered. The War put people to work in munitions factories, and managed to buoy the economy. After the war, America came out prosperous and powerful. That's my take.

Answer 7

It began during the World War I, when Germany began sinking American ships, thus forcing U.S. to get involved in the world affairs. U.S. became superpower however after WW2. After WW2 U.S. tried to contain the spread of communism into other world countries, thus starting a Cold War with the Soviet Union. Those events made U.S a superpower.

Answer 8

Money, money, world domination in the industrial world, money, business ventures abroad which infringed on the rights of certain countries that the USA became involved with either through trade or war and becoming friends with influential countries around the world led the USA to be a dominating force in the world. The cold war then allowed them to become number one in the world. Since the end of the cold war they have been attacked because of their dominance.

Answer 9

War of 1812, The Industrial Revolution, Spanish American war, WWI, WWII, The Space Age, Fall of the Soviet Union

Answer 10

world war 11 we were pretty fierce since then not to good.
We lost in Korea, viet nam and the gulf war pretty good.
Got him out of Kuwait anyway. Besides we have the technigology and the nuclear weapons. The guy with the biggest gun gets to rule. We won and became the superior power when we nuke Japan. Scared the dickens out of the rest of the world.