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The Birth of a Superpower
The rise of the USA to a superpower began in 1917 when the countryparticipated inWorld
War 1. Before the war, United States economic capacity was obstructed by its poor systems of
governance, unconventional financial systems, and its uniquely destructive racial and labor
conflicts. Moreover,there also weremismanagement of resources, greed-fuelled politics, and
urban graftin the country. During its participation in the war, the country`s leaderslearned more
abouthow other countries lived, their economic activities, and advancements in various fields.
The USA was isolated from the rest of the globe, so, it was safe from invasion. This gave the
country aspace and time to grow. Besides, more and more immigrants were coming to the US. To
utilize these people, the countryembarked on diverse developmental activities and used the
immigrants to provide huge labor. The activities made the USA to undergo tremendous changes
in various sectors in the 20th century, namely, in transport, communication, agriculture, energy,
and production.
Transformations the USA Underwent to Become the World Superpower
1. Transformation in Transport, Communication, and Technology
The USA passed through massive transformation in the transport sector. Both technical
and organizational innovations helped the countryto acquire expensive and rare machines that
were capable of moving fast, carrying many people, and transportingnumerous goods. The nation
concentrated on manufacturingsophisticated transport equipment,such as submarine ships and

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modern railways,that increased efficiency in transporting both raw materials to the
respectiveindustries and its troops to and from the war. This made the war more complex and
horrible than ever before (Mclean). Also, it opened up air, railway, road, and water transport to
meet the large demands of people. The mass transit of goods had great impact on the
development of urban areas. Moreover, during the war, the soldiersstarted using radio for
communication and entertainment. The use of radio revolutionized the way they shared
information. For example, the militaries used it as a way to communicate with navy ships.
The United States potential continued to thrive because of improved communication
methods. The invention of TVs, telephones, and computers simplified communication even
further. The use of phones ensured that the communication within the USA is fast and reliable.
Computers gave Americansan easy access to information and knowledge. This changed
businesses, industries, and the way scientists did their research. The most important
technological development during the First World War was the improvement of the machine gun,
a weapon originally developed by an American, Hiram Maxim (Mclean). The USA wasat the
forefront of technological innovations in the world and created numerous job opportunities.
Americans utilized computers to create a lot of wealth. Through computers, they conducted
research on how to outperform all other countries in the world. This has continued from the
20thcentury to date, and the country has cemented its status as the world`s superpower.
2. Transformation in Agriculture and Farm Produce
In the early 20th century, agriculture in the USA was labor intensive and was mainly
carried out in a large number of small farms in the rural areas. However, as the 20th century
progressed, tremendous transformations occurred in farming. The North Americans started
changing the way they responded to their problems.Farms became mechanized and specialized.

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With the mechanization and specialization, agriculture became very efficient, and its contribution
to the growth of the USA economy was felt tremendously. Furthermore, the use of chemical
inputs and technology increased output and led to boostin economyof scale that spurred
growth.Since then, farms had grown considerably, and consumers wereno longer spending large
portions of their incomes on food.
3. Rationalized Production
Revolutions in the 20thcentury rationalized production. Increased use of automated
machineryin the production sector as well as utilization of computers by enterprises were two
major steps in this field. Moreover, they led to fast growth and the emergence of job
opportunities with high salary. With increase in rationalization, unemployment rate went down
drastically. The US became a giant in the production of goods.
4. Energy Conversions
In early years, electricity generated for use in the United States was expensive and
inefficient. The use of coal and fuel to produce energy emitted a lot of wastes that were
environmentally unfriendly. With the dawn of the 20thcentury, many improvements took place in
the energy sector. The first one was reduced generation and transmissionof electricity expenses.
This led to decreased costs of production. The second advancement was increased access to
cheap electricity which changed the pattern of its use. The usage of electricity in America
extended to every sector of the economy. Industries and firms were able to utilize electricity for
massive production. The health sector benefited the most because electricity made refrigeration
of vaccines possible, thus eliminating the widespread of infectious diseases.
Factors that Shaped the United States

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Leaders in the US started embracing transparency and accountability. The citizens were
encouraged to participate in electinggood leaders and giving ideas on what should be done to
move the continent forward. The leaders were responsible and managed the resources well for
the benefit of the people. Good governance became an ingredient for economic prosperity and
political development. The leaders came up with admirable policies that were meant to benefit
the people ofthe United States.
In addition, the USA was strategically located from the geographical point of view,
making its access to and from other continents easy by sea. The strategic positioning enabled the
country to receive raw materials for the industries from abroad.Moreover, ithelped to trade with
European countries. The USA stood ahead of almost all other nations in terms of population,
geographic size, economic resources, and military potential. Besides, the good climatic
conditions in most parts of the country enabled the country to do farming effectively and feed its
population.
The United States Remains the Global Power
Until now, the United States remains the global superpower.When it comes to war, the country`s
ability is enormous and unrivaled. The US accounts for 37% of global military spending.
Throughout the early years of the 20thcentury, the USA military was developing sophisticated
weapons that could destroy their enemies in times of war. Some of these weapons were used
when the USA bombed Hiroshima Island and killed a big number of people.The goal was to put
an end to the war,though its effects are being felt to date. In the war against terrorism, the USA
helps third world countries in their fight against it. For example, after terrorist attacks on the
American embassy in Kenya, America routed the Taliban in Afghanistan (Yew). In the process,
the worlds number one criminal, Osama bin Laden, was killed.

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The size and quality of North Americas economy is very impressive. In the world today,
80% of transactions are conducted in US dollars according to the World Bank report. Moreover,
the USA has immense political influence in the world. It has helped third world countries to
develop their political systems and become more democratic.
In summary, the United States istodays world superpower, and it will continue to be one
in the foreseeable future. This is due to the transformations it underwent in the 20th century in the
areas of transport, communication, energy, agriculture, and production. The changes have been
improved and supported by good governance and hardworking citizens. Its economy is the most
developed in the world today. Although other nations have undergone the same changes, they
have not reached the level of the United States yet. With the most developed economy in the
world, the US has created employment opportunities to its citizens, and its infrastructure is fully
developed.

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Works Cited
Mclean, Torrey A. WWI: Technology and the Weapons of War. Ncpedia. 1 May 1993. Web. 23
Oct. 2015.
Yew, Lee K. The United States, Iraq, and the War on Terror.Foreign Affairs.Jan. 2007. Web. 23
Oct. 2015.

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