Using named examples, assess the relative importance of economic, military and cultural factors in influencing superpower status.

Using named examples, assess the relative importance of economic, military and cultural factors in influencing superpower status.

Britain formed an empire by claiming colonies and expanding their global coverage through territories which were taken over by their military. England established overseas possessions and trading posts between the late 16th and early 18th centuries. This colonisation allowed the nation to benefit economically from resources and trade opportunities in locations such as India. The empire was the greatest in history, establishing Britain as the most powerful world superpower at the time. At its peak, the British Empire covered over 33,700,000 km2 (nearly one quarter of the Earth’s land) and held one fifth of the world’s population (approximately 458 million people). Due to its complete world dominance, British politics, law, language and culture were widespread and continue to hold a strong legacy today. For example, English is an official language in India and Cameroon. Countries such as Australia and Canada are also still part of the Commonwealth, headed by Queen Elizabeth. An economic factor, the Industrial Revolution, contributed greatly to Britain’s economic success, along with its ability to easily trade globally. They also had the world’s greatest military force, meaning they were able to impose their rule over places such as South Africa and Gambia. This factor was essential to the expansion of the British Empire and the making of Britain as a superpower.
The USA is an example of a nation which has attained world dominance, gaining power in relatively recent history through the means of economic, cultural and military factors. The country is the only current world superpower, with an unmatched influence on the world. For example, its president, Barack Obama is named by Forbes as the most powerful person on Earth. As of 2011, the United Nations listed the United States’ economy as the most valuable with a GDP of 14,991,300. The nation also has the greatest international influence in terms of military; they have the most aircraft carriers of any country and over 370,000 military bases overseas. This creates a large threat and defence against potential attacks from other countries that want more power. Culturally, the US has influenced the world greatly. The most prominent example of this is the spread of the English language across so many countries. American TNCs such can be seen worldwide, as they have expanded aggressively and gained great economic power. For example, McDonald’s food can be purchased in the majority of developed countries. Currently, US media such as movies and television are shown worldwide to massive audiences. The dominance of US media has projected an image of the US lifestyle onto most of the developed world. The USA is the most prominent example of culture being a large part of a superpower’s influence. As US cultures and media have spread across the world, people learn about and relate to the country more. This spread has only increased in recent years due to the increasing functionality and availability of technology and globalisation.
During the cold war the world’s main power was bi-polar, a split between the superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union. At this point Britain was financially weak and had lost many colonies to new found independence after WWII, meaning it was no longer a superpower. The cold war was essentially a battle for power between opposing ideals of capitalism and communism from the US and Soviet Union respectively.
The Soviet Union had many characteristics which made it a world superpower to match the US at the time. They were geographically superior to the rest of the world, with the largest country at 22.27 million km² of land. This meant that, by the law of averages, they would have a large amount of resources such as oil and coal. This meant that the country could be self-sufficient in terms of fuel, saving money from not needing to import it and making the country’s economy the second richest at the time. These natural reserves can still be seen in Russia today. The Soviet Union possessed the largest armed forces and air force in the world at the time, and the second largest navy. This meant that they could dominate most countries through brute force, and so established the country as a world leader. Only the US was strong enough to challenge them. The nation also stockpiled a wealth of nuclear weaponry, which posed a serious threat to other countries. The Soviet Union also had the advantage of a huge population of 286.7 million (1989); the third largest on Earth behind China and India.
Recently, emerging world superpower prospects have demonstrated some of the factors required to gain world power dominance. These countries have been categorised as the BRIC countries; Brazil, Russia, India and China. For example, China currently holds the world’s greatest population at 1,353,821,000 (2012 estimate) and has the most spoken language worldwide, as 12.44% of the world speak Mandarin. The country has seen great Industrialisation in recent years, seeing the development and expansion of factories which produce popular products which are shipped worldwide. This has been a great economic advantage for the country in recent years, as they are able to export high amounts of produce. The nation also has the second highest military expenditures in the world, demonstrating that their government are intending to invest in generating more power for the country.
Another way to gain world power and global influence is by attaining and developing nuclear weaponry. Due to its great potential for destruction, the presence of nuclear weaponry in a country poses a massive threat on surrounding locations. The USA and Russia have possession of the most nuclear warheads, meaning they pose the greatest threat on countries that conflict their governments’ interests. To minimise the danger of the spread of nuclear weapons, various international agreements have been made. For example, the ‘Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons’ has been agreed to by many UN countries. Its aim is to encourage cooperation between world powers and to promote peaceful uses of nuclear technology, such as nuclear power.