America became the most powerful nation immediately after the second world war (1939- 1945) because Europe was busy rebuilding itself whereas America was interested in lending money to Europe and was making huge profits on these loans. Currently, China’s economy is fast growing and has the second largest economy in the world after supplanting Japan.
The fall of American empire could be a distinct reflection of the fall of Roman Empire.
To begin with, what are the similarities and differences between the rise and fall of Roman Empire in 365 A.D. and the United States in the 21st Century? First let’s ask ourselves, are Americans the new Romans? There are many who are struck by the similarities between the American empire now and the Roman Empire then. Military strength is the most obvious similarity, as Rome was the Superpower of its time, and the United States is the Superpower now.
The Romans had the best training, biggest budget, and finest equipment that the world had ever seen in their time. The United States is obviously dominant because its military budget is larger than nine other countries put together, allowing it to deploy its units almost anywhere across the world in a matter of minutes. Add the United States technological lead, and it emerges as a serious superpower without any rivals.
However, there is a significant difference as the United States did not form any type of formal colonies and the Romans always did, and furthermore until this date there has not been any evidence that the United States has deployed any ruling consuls in other sovereign lands.
Notably, America and Rome have had their shares of colonizing and conquering evidenced by their very histories as written throughout the centuries. Paul Kennedy, author of The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, stated, “this [US] was an imperial nation, a conquering nation” . Based on history, the Romans understood that the world needed to practice imperialism, namely the art of winning wars and invading territories; they also practiced and learned the political tricks that sustained their ability to stay in power of their territories during their reigning period.
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