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Britain has grown its empire to become the largest that has ever existed. Being the first country to industrialise it is the world's most advanced economy and its empire gives it access to more resources than anybody else. Britain holds 19.7% of the world's GDP in 1913, though this has dropped from roughly 25% at the start of this period.

Germany merged from a huge number of small states into a single nation in 1871, with Prussia as the dominant force. It rapidly industrialised. At the start of this period the GDP was roughly 60% of that of Britain, but at the end it jumped up to 75% and growing. Its military power expands greatly, enough to scare the British in to an arms race over battleships. Though the British will maintain 5 battleships for every German battleship, they are frightened that the Germans will overtake them. The German army is larger and better trained. Germany also starts encroaching on the British Empire in the Pacific and Africa.

France came of the 1871 war with Germany very badly. The war effectively slowed the pace of industrialisation in France. France slowly rebuilds, growing its economy and military power once more. It captures colonies in Asia, north-west Africa, and Madagascar.

The USA will begin this period coming out of Civil War that nearly destroyed it less than 100 years from its birth. However, it comes out the conflict more united than ever. Rapidly industrialising, its GDP will be 18% in 1913, almost on par with Britain. It also develops its military capacity quickly. In the early twentieth century the USA builds a Great White Fleet that travels the world, broadcasting the arrival of the USA on the global stage with massive naval ships.

Japan quietly develops its military powers, defeating both the Chinese and Russian Empires in wars during the 1890s and 1900s. This leaves it with new territories in Korea and Taiwan. The defeat of Russia leaves shockwaves in Europe. Japan is determined not to be embarrassed by European powers. Its economy is still very agrarian with pockets of industrialisation.

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Read the key term in the red box on page 18.

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British Empire is the largest Empire in the world, however over the next 30 years it will lose most of its colonies. Britain, like most European countries, would be effectively bankrupt after the war and was in need of support to rebuild.

France tries to regain many of the colonies it lost after capitulating to the NAZIs and Japanese, however by 1954 it has lost its major colonies in Asia and the Middle East though it retains control over North-west Africa until the 1960s.

The USA is the world's largest economy, the foremost military power, and the most advanced technological power. It had an effective global presence.

The USSR had a bigger military than the USA throughout the Cold War, though its forces were less well spread globally. Until the 1970s, the economy and standard of living in the USSR grew. At its height, the GDP of the USSR was around 70% that of the USA's.

China is caught in a Civil War at the end of WW2. The Communist Party will eventually take control of mainland China. There are numerous famines and economic instability throughout this period.

Japan becomes an economic powerhouse after WW2, but its Constitution (drafted by the USA) only allows a small military.

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The USSR collapsed. The former Iron Curtain splits into the individual nation states that we know and love today. Some of them are still splintering today. The Russian economy is destroyed and falls under the sway of powerful oligarchs. It retains its military threat throughout, though the War in Afghanistan showed the weaknesses in its armory. Most Russian equipment is old and outdated.

The USA is the world's foremost economy, military power, and cultural influence. People in Moscow queue for a taste of a Big Mac. People in Italy eat Pizza Hut. Eventually, an American firm will open 'Outback Steakhouses' in Australia. The War in Afghanistan and Iraq start well, with Bush declaring 'Mission Accomplished' in 2005. A shoe will be thrown at him. There are limits to the power of the US, however, and several disasters such as the terrorist attack on the World Trade Centre in 2001 highlight. Despite these crises, the USA appears untouchable.

The Japanese market collapsed in the late 1980s leaving one of the world's largest economies in a state of crisis. It slowly rebounds, but by 2005 its place in the global marketplace is on the cusp of being usurped by China. The Chinese state goes through a period of unprecedented growth in the late 90s and early 2000s. Free trade agreements with many nations expand the economic power of China. Its GDP in 1995 is 73.5bn, while the USA's is 7.6tn. In 2005, China's economy is worth 2.3tn. Still significantly smaller than the USA but catching up...

Russia has rebounded in the early 2000s. It is updating its armed forces and the economy has stablisied.

Germany, France, and the UK are all economically tied to the EU which rivals the US. At 11 trillian dollars, it is almost equal to the US. However, it is also militarily tied to the USA through NATO.

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The Napoleonic Wars have ended with the Conference of Vienna that reestablished traditional powers in Europe.

Britain is the largest economy in the world. It is the first country to industrialise; Belgium would be next in the 1830s. Politically, it is very stable. Foremost naval power, which it uses to control the seas.

France returns to monarchy after the fall of Napoleon. It has lost many of its colonies, retaining only a few in the West Indies. It is only until the 1850s and the return of the Napoleon dynasty (under Napoleon the Third) that the French state begins to industrialise. It still maintains the largest army in Europe. There is significant political unrest in France, just as in the rest of Europe.

Germany does not exist. Instead, there are numerous states ranging from cities to countries controlling large (for Europe) territories. The most powerful are Austria to the South and Prussia to the North. Prussia begins asserting its dominance over the rest of the German states, which will see it fight wars with Denmark, Austria, and France before Germany is united (under Prussian rule) in 1871.

The USA 'draws' a war with Britain in 1815, a war which saw British troops burn the Capitol Building in Washington DC. It is expanding to the West, but will fight a Civil War between 1861-1865. Its economy is still largely agrarian (farming) based, with industrialisation slowly beginning to occur in the 1850s.

China fights and loses several wars against European powers over trading rights. The 'Celestial Kingdom' still has a large domestic economy which attracts Europeans, but its technology is poor and unable to resist.

Japan has been closed off to the world from the 1640s. It is reopened by the USA at gunpoint in the 1850s. The Americans complain the Japanese stink of fish, the Japanese complain the Americans smell of cow. Nonetheless, Japan is shocked into action and begins a process of rapid industrialisation, though is still in early stages by the 1870s.

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After taking German colonies after WW1, both the British and French Empires become as big as they ever will. However they are devasted by 4 years of constant fighting. The British Empire goes backwards in 1921 and 1922 before rebounding. Despite the Great Depression, the British Empire will be slightly bigger than it was in 1918 in 1938. The economic issues means it is very hard for the British to rebuild its military after WW1. It is quickly outpaced by Japan and the USA.

The French economy grows until the Great Depression hits in 1929. After that it will only get back to pre-Depression levels by 1938. In the 1930s it invests heavily in military, though it cannot afford to keep up with Germany.

The German economy expands throughout the 1920s. It is hit very hard by the Great Depression. Its military is tied by a number of treaties that prevent it becoming too big, however after Hitler rises to power he ignores all international treaties and rebuilds the German military rapidly. The spending spree increases German GDP. By 1940, NAZI Germany were spending $US39bn on defence. The US in comparison was only spending $17bn.

Japan's economy faltered during the Interwar period. Even before the Great Depression, it was not growing. However, this was a period of great expansion in Japan's military capacity. Successes in the First World War encouraged the Japanese to expand their military potential. Until 1931, the Japanese were held back by several treaties that limited how many ships they could have. They walked out on these treaties and began to quickly turn the economy to a war footing. By 1937, the economy was based on the military, and GDP quickly rose as did the military capacity of Japan. Lacking resources meant the Japanese needed necessary industrial goods such as oil, coal, iron, and rubber found primarily in places controlled by Europeans. To maintain their empire, they needed to get hold of these resources.

The USSR went through several famines and economic collapses in the 1920s. By the 1930s it was slowly reviving. The Russian Empire was massive, largely due to its huge population. However it was very slow to modernise in the 1930s.

The US economy grew 43% in the interwar period, even when one takes into account the Great Depression. By the mid 1920s it had overtaken the British as the biggest global economy. The military was comparatively small however. Slow expansion, particularly of naval power in the 1930s largely to keep a bigger Navy than Japan. WW2, however, led them to turn their huge productive capacity onto war machines and by 1941 they were the world's biggest supplier of armaments. By the time of their entrance into the war, their economy was already building the machines needed to win it.

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The USA is the world's largest economy and military. It's GDP is currently 23.32 tn US$. The military power index (with 0 being perfect score based on human resources, technological advancement, sh*t like that) is 0.0712. The cultural influence of the US is immense, with many of the world's biggest brands being US based.

China is the world's second largest economy at 17.73tn. It has rapidly caught up and consistently exceeds US growth. The Chinese military has a power ranking of 0.0722 and is a process of modernisation. It's navy has more ships than the US and it is expanding its nuclear arsenal. China has used its domestic economy to exert influence, whilst engaging in a "charm offensive" to find prospective allies. They recently described Anthony Albanese as "very handsome".

In 1999 the Russian GDP was 195 billion $US. It has risen to 1.779 Trillion last year. The Russian military are ranked second in the world with a power index of 0.0714. A big part of this is its large population and air force technology. Russia has exerted influence over the Middle East, notably Syria and Iran, as well as in North and West Africa where it has positioned itself as an anti-imperialist power.

Britain's economy is 3.1 tn $US. Its military is ranked fifth in the world with a power index of 0.143. Since leaving the EU in 2016-2022, it has been forced to seek out new partners around the world and build new trading networks and friends.

India's GDP is 3.176tn $US. It is projected to become the biggest economy within the century. It has a military ranking of 0.102. It has growing cultural influence through the Indian diaspora. Cricket is now one of the biggest growing sports in the US!

Australia has a GDP of 1.553$US. The military power ranking is 0.2567 (16th in the world). It has immense cultural influence around the world as being the place kangaroos come from.