Europe triumphant, 1400-1850 In the nineteenth century, the coming of steamships, telegraphs, and the railroad continued shrinking space; and as its economic potential was unleashed, the United States began challenging Britain, going from being an economic periphery to being a core in its own right. America triumphant, 1850-2050? The United States’ GDP overtook Britain’s in 1872 and Germany’s followed suit in 1908. In 1914 and again in 1939, German leaders concluded that the only way to solve the geostrategic problem of being trapped between France and Russia was through violence. The resulting wars devastated Europe, bankrupted Britain, and left the United States and Soviet Union to divide the spoils between them. … Continue reading The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers (2013)