Apr 08, 2014 · Which industrialized nation emerged as the only intact major power after World War II? a. The United States b. Japan c. Germany d. Canada e. Africa a. The United States
Apr 21, 2017 · Question 26 3 out of 3 points Which industrialized nation emerged as the only intact major power after World War II? Selected Answer: The United States Correct Answer: The United States Selected Answer : The United States Correct Answer : The United States
Oct 17, 2018 · Question 28 3 out of 3 points Which industrialized nation emerged as the only intact major power after World War II? Selected Answer: The United States Correct Answer: The United States Selected Answer : The United States Correct Answer : The United States
Nov 13, 2018 · The Treaty of Versailles, which was signed by the United States, Great Britain, France, and Germany, forced this last country to accept responsibility of all the damages and economic losses that were caused due to the war. Germany had to repay a total of 31.2 billion dollars at the time of the treaty's signature to the other 3 participants of the war.
Great Responsibilities and New Global Power. World War II transformed the United States from a midlevel global power to the leader of the “free world.”. With this rapid rise in power and influence, the United States had to take on new responsibilities, signaling the beginning of the "American era.". October 23, 2020.
The arsenal of democracy that Franklin D. Roosevelt called into existence when the United States entered World War II proved to be a valuable investment in the American economy. By 1945, the United States was manufacturing more than half of the produced goods in the world. US exports made up more than one-third of the total global exports, and the United States held roughly two-thirds of the available gold reserves. The sudden onset of this new position of economic power presented the United States with a number of new responsibilities. The actions of American leaders would no longer only affect citizens in the United States. Such actions proved to have long-reaching repercussions across the globe.
At end of nineteenth century, the British pound was more than double in value to its closest competitor , which included the French franc and the German mark. American dollars could not compete with European currencies. The strength of the British pound continued to persist, but its preference as a standard currency for global commerce was weakening over time. Economic scholars Menzie Chinn and Jeffrey Frankel argued that the waning power of the British pound, hit by two world wars and a global economic depression, allowed the American dollar to surpass the once robust British currency. By 1945, the status of the dollar and the pound had essentially flipped. Within a few decades, the United States transformed from an isolationist, inward-looking power with minimal presence on the global stage to an economic powerhouse that controlled the most valuable currency in international markets. How did such a remarkable transformation occur?
Far from the isolationism that characterized US global politics, the immediate aftermath of World War II established a clear desire among American political and economic leaders to protect this newfound power and to secure the United States as the leader of the “free world.”.
By investing in the reconstruction of countries devastated by World War II , the United States created new markets to export American goods. Products like Coca-Cola became desired commodities abroad and helped to promote the exportation of US culture. The demand for American-made goods—along with the movement of people on US commercial airlines like Pan Am or with travelers staying in American-run hotels abroad like the Hilton chain —established the United States as a global economic leader. The dominance of the American economy in the global marketplace after World War II brought significant changes to the way Americans lived their daily lives. The new prosperity led to the rise of a consumer society across the United States, with emerging middle class eagerly purchasing goods such as cars and televisions. The economic boom that followed World War II not only changed the way Americans lived each day, but it also established the United States as both a cultural leader abroad and an economic leader amongst all other nations.
The United States approached the restoration of Western European economies as an investment in the preservation of peace and protection of markets for American goods. The underlying belief running through the Marshall Plan held that countries that traded together were less likely to wage war against each other.
The sudden onset of this new position of economic power presented the United States with a number of new responsibilities. The actions of American leaders would no longer only affect citizens in the United States. Such actions proved to have long-reaching repercussions across the globe.