Summary Of American Century By Henry Luce

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Henry Luce coined the phrase “American Century” to describe a specific period in our history: the rise of the United States as the world’s greatest power during and after World War II. Beginning with the Spanish-American war in the late 19th century, along with the important role the United States played in World War II and the Cold War, the status of the U.S. was that of one of the world’s two superpowers. Through Luce’s editorial published in Life Magazine, he called upon the United States to enter World War II to defend democratic values. He believed it was America’s time “to be the powerhouse from which the ideals spread throughout the world and do their mysterious work of lifting the life of mankind from the level of the beasts…” After …show more content…

The U.S. also displayed strong ties with capitalist Western Europe, Latin America, British Commonwealth, and several East Asian countries. During this period, many countries around the world began to adopt the economic policies similar to that of the Washington Consensus. With the United States having the largest economy in the world at this time, the economic force our country had was very powerful. In addition, the U.S. had a wide variety of minerals and energy resources, along with a large, modern farming industry and industrial base. The United States military was naval-based and had the highest military expenditure compared to any other country. America had the world’s largest navy and the largest amount of aircraft carriers with bases in countless areas around the world. The U.S. military influence was even greater in that we had one of the largest armies and one of the two largest air forces. From a cultural standpoint, United States influence can be seen in many other countries. American music, films, television, fashion, and art all inspired other countries around the world. Stars including Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, and Madonna were huge sensations in numerous countries. The desire for freedom of speech and other guaranteed rights also influenced different parts of the world to model themselves after