Why did US take from Britain the status as Superpower?

Question

How did this happen and why?
When also?

Answer 1

Well, they didn't take the phrase "superpower" because that is a media name.

Britain was a "world power" going back to the late 1700's when it started to explore the world, settled and forced their will on the local populous. Now, I'm not saying Britain was right for doing this because in today's world you don't go around forcing people to behave as you do or believe in the same God as you and that sort of thing. That was how Britain gained its status as a world power.

Started with India, then Asia then Africa (all the easy to defeat and dominate areas), built up strong colonial bases and weren't defeated. Now this is all about the time America fought for its independence and became a self governing country and not under British rule or law.

Britain's downfall from the status of "world power was probably started with the First World War. Instead of keeping a firm hand on the Commonwealth our attentions were directed to a conflict closer to home so the colonies saw their chance to shake of British control and demand independence.

Then came World War 2 and that, basically, put Britain lower down the pecking order as an influential world power and, because of it's mere wealth of men, material and money, America gained the position of THE world power or, as they are refered to now, "super power".

Britain just stayed in the background and now, on the whole, are looked to for influencing other nations ways of thinking when conflict looms.

The US just shout a lot, shake big sticks and leave the mess for others to sweep up. If that offends any American's it's not a dig but an observation from a Brit's point of view. Don't get me wrong Britain isn't perfect, by any stretch of the imagination, but we do things with dignity and don't jump in before testing the water.

Answer 2

The US couldn't take the status away because it's not a physical thing. It also wouldn't be in America's best interest to do it. The decline of the British Empire was not a result of America's rise to a superpower, but a natural result of India's quest for independence and granting the same independence to several other colonies.

The USA was the first nuclear power, but even before that Japan recognized that the only way to defeat the US in a war was destroying the entire Pacific fleet in one strike. If they failed (and they did), they would ultimately lose because of America's natural resources, economic forces, and the number of US citizens willing to take up arms.

The South in the American Civil War also recognized that the North had the industry and men to defeat them. This was acknowledged by Colonel Robert E. Lee when he resigned his position as Commandant of West Point to become a general in the Confederate Army. He KNEW the South would ultimately be defeated, but did it anyway because he could not force himself to bear arms against his own neighbors.

It was not a case of taking anything from Britain. It was simply having the resources, the economy, and the ability to be a contender on the world stage.

Answer 3

Britain's super power was pretty much lost after World War 2. By that time, the sun did set on the empire as the majority of their foreign territories were either given independence or lost in the spoils of war. The United States suffered the a lot less damage on the homefront than Britain and through advances in technology and a booming economy the United States had succeeded in surpassing Britian as the super power of the west.

Answer 4

By the turn of the 19th century, America was beginning to realise it's potential, both financially and culturally. It was large, rich in natural resources, young and dynamic, inventive, fiercely free, and unashamedly capitalist. It had all the ingredients for becoming a leader of nations, and used them well. Americans used their wealth and power to advance themselves before and after the 2nd World War, just as Britain did when it was the Superpower with a large empire. America used it's wealth and power to help win both world wars, and thereby helped preserve democracy in Europe. America leads culturally and gave us Elvis, and Bing Crosby, Michael Jackson, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Gone With The Wind, The Wizard OF Oz, Fred Astaire, The Godfather and a whole bunch of other stuff. They get a little arrogant now and then, just as the British did when THEY were up there. It goes with the territory. By the way, I am not an American!

Answer 5

The 2 world wars in relatively quick succession was enough to bankrupt britain.
The USA loaned us money and with smallprint that required us to give up our trading monopoly with our colonies and commonwealth.
The booming US economy made the dollar favourable to our colonies .The economic upshot was Britain was never able to recover from the drain of the war.Ultimately loosening our grip on the empire.

Probably the worst thing that Britain did was take americas loan with the conditions attached.
If Attlee hadnt made the promises to the public he did while seeking election,we could have managed without the loan and conditions that have reduced our country to the small island we have become.
The world would have been a better ,safer place for everyone if the British empire still existed.

Answer 6

Basically, after WWII ended in 1945, Britain was all but bankrupt. Economically from the huge cost of waging a war it could ill afford, more or less alone from 1939 to the end of 1941. Britain had to borrow heavily from the US. FDR was a smart politician and power player and although the US sacrificed a lot to help bring the war to an end, its aid to Britain from 1939 up to Pearl Harbor was not unconditional. The British paid for whatever US materiel that Congress and Senate allowed FDR to send. In part with gold, in part with territories.

Secondly, the British Empire was politically stretched after WWII. The British found themselves in deep trouble when the German armies advanced eastwards towards Egypt and Palestine in North Africa, threatened the Middle East from the north through the southern parts of the Soviet Union and the Japanese army marched into Burma and threatened to carry on its operations into India. At the time, a German-Japanese link-up somewhere in India or Afghanistan or maybe in what is now Iraq, was not unthinkable. Until 1942, the German and Japanese forces had seen nothing but success. Pearl Harbor and Stalingrad were in my opinion the two decisive places where WWII changed its course. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and Hitler's refusal to bring the troops out of Stalingrad before it was surrounded were possibly the two greatest mistakes of WWII.

Britain's armed forces just was not numerous enough to wage war both in Europe, Africa and Asia without relying on locally recruited troops and soldiers from the Commonwealth like Australians, New Zealanders, Canadians, etc. Having little choice but to promise the possibility of independence to many of its colonies in exchange for their help with manpower, the emerging independence movements in India, Pakistan, Malaya, Singapore and other colonies called in the British IOU's during the years after 1945.

The US, on the other hand, emerged from WWII stronger than ever, economically, politically and militarily. In august of 1945 the US was undisputedly the world's most powerful nation. Its industry had been running in high gear since 1942 and it had developed into the world's largest and most expansive economy. The US had not suffered any of the war damage inflicted on Britain, Germany, Japan, the Soviet Union and the rest of the European industry. Economically the US had a huge advantage during the forties and fifties.

After WWII the US became increasingly aware of the emerging threat from the former ally - the Soviet Union. From 1945 to 1949, when the Soviets detonated their first nuclear device, the US had all the cards. After 1949, the world changed again, and the US had to concentrate its power, economically, politically and militarily, on countering the communist threat from the Soviets and the Chinese. This was the start of the so called "cold war" that did not end until the fall of the Soviet Union in 1989. The most notable events during this period is probably the shooting wars in Korea (1950-1953) and Vietnam (1959-1975).

After the end of the cold war the US stood alone as the world's only super power, unsurpassed in military, ecomomical and political power. The US is still fifteen years later the world's most powerful nation, but its armed forces has been worn down by the conflicts in the Gulf, Afghanistan and Iraq. Considering the heavy US engagement in Iraq and Afghanistan, it is doubtful if it could today engage in a third conflict. Who will try to take advantage of this, is anybody's guess.

Answer 7

It happened on 15th June 1967 during a game of backgammon. We lost, and the yanks took our superpower status

Answer 8

When Britain lost the war of independence

http://www.dlt.ncssm.edu/lmtm/docs/BritainLost/Whyvideoscript.doc

Answer 9

Have they I didn't notice that! Maybe that's because I don't really care.