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Why did the USA and USSR emerge as superpowers? - Coggle Diagram
Why did the USA and USSR emerge as superpowers?
US
Military Factors
American Air Power became No.1 in the world.
America, by 1945 had twelve million men in the armed forces, over seventy thousand naval vessels and almost 73,000 aircraft.
America also possessed the atomic bomb
Economic Factors
American economy emerged in 1945 strengthened by the war, capable of out-producing all the other great powers together.
US was committed to promoting capitalism and free trade.
They alone possessed the economic power to prevent the return to economic stagnation and international instability.
Political/Ideological Factors
After taking office in 1945, President Truman recognised the transformation of America’s position: ‘we have emerged from this war the east the powerful nation in the world – the most powerful nation perhaps, in all history.’
For US and the western allies Liberal Democracy was the ideology that had defeated fascism and should shape the postwar order
USSR
Military Factors
The Red Army went on to become the backbone of the Soviet superpower. No.1 Land Power
Stalin’s state became the dominant political giant throughout eastern Europe and Asia.
USSR’s military power made it could influence politically the development of post-war governments in Eastern Europe.
Economic Factors
USSR could provide support for the smaller Eastern European countries that were established after the First World War.
Political/Ideological Factors
The war did secure the survival of communism
For USSR it was communism that had defeated fascism and should shape the new world order
UK & France Weakened
Britain and France found their post-war international position fatally weakened by their inability to stop Germany in 1940.
Became 2nd rank powers