Background
The historical process in different eras has defined states as superpowers, which had more opportunities and geopolitical influence. Such states emerged, actively developed, and used the resources available to them, after which they were often replaced by others. Since the last century, the world superpower should be considered the United States, a country that is advanced in many areas of economics, politics, and culture. Particular attention is paid to the technological development of the country since it is in the U.S. manufactured the most high-tech products that are in demand throughout the world. Such technology is not limited to everyday goods but goes wider: it includes space and pharmaceutical industries, military weapons, and digital products.
As it is known, every effect has a cause; the development of the U.S. as a technological superpower was catalyzed in the 1940s. War is the driving force for scientific progress, and from this point of view, the U.S. proved to be the leading country. It was the Manhattan Project, launched back in 1942 that led to the first-ever successful use of nuclear bombs just three years later (Lotha, 1). It was also during these years that the country launched the space observatory, the television and credit card system, transistors, and supersonic aircraft (Alexander, 2; Kellermann, 3). The U.S. thus won the technology race among countries and began investing heavily in the development of new projects.
Discussion
One of the most memorable events in world history that contributed to the active development of the United States as a superpower was the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. When Nazi-ruled Germany was no longer viable and had effectively surrendered, Japan was still an aggressor nation against Allied forces. It is believed that the use of two nuclear bombs against Japanese cities was a military necessity that allowed the war to end (Lewis, 4). Indeed, a considerable number of Japanese civilians died as a result of the attack, but the move saved many more lives; there is no telling how much further fighting would have dragged on. As a consequence, the first-ever successful use of nuclear weapons raised the technological status of the United States and created an image as a sovereign leader in this field.
Another example of the country’s technological sophistication is the creation of the credit card system, which is used routinely by vast numbers of people around the world. Credit cards were developed in 1946 by banker John C. Biggins as a response to some of the economic downturns in postwar Brooklyn (Randall, 5). Credit cards are used as they are now; banks used them to extend credit to customers, allowing them to get a product or service now and pay for it later with additional interest. Statistics show that more than 79% of Americans have used credit cards at least once, and this number is growing (Gonzalez-Garcia, 6). The creation of this response has allowed the U.S. to take a strong lead in economic technology and become the front-runner in doing so.
Reflection
In reflecting on the technology described, it is paramount that I report that I truly believe that the U.S. is a technological leader and superpower because it is obvious how much the entire world depends on our country. Americans use credit cards every day to pay for groceries at the store, gasoline, or even a cup of coffee; with high levels of financial literacy, this proves effective. In addition, with the current geopolitical agenda, many people talk about the possibility of a new nuclear war — we live in such challenging times. However, I am confident that nothing of the sort will happen because the level of public humanism has evolved considerably since World War II. Hence, the examples I gave earlier are really similar to what we face every day. While I do not wish to see nuclear weapons continue to evolve, the credit card system is indeed a valuable American invention.
Sources
Gloria Lotha. 2022. Manhattan Project. Britannica.
Donovan Alexander. 2019. 11 Inventions from the 1940s That Still Shape Our World Today. Interesting Engineering.
Kenneth I. Kellermann, Ellen N. Bouton, and Sierra S. Brandt. 2020. The Postwar Explosion in Radio Astronomy: The US Falls Behind. Web.
Tom Lewis. 2020. Atomic Salvation: How The A-Bomb Saved the Lives of 32 Million People. Casemate.
Mike Randall. 2018. Who Invented the First Bank-Issued Credit Card? CardRates.
Jamie Gonzalez-Garcia. 2021. Credit card ownership statistics. Credit Cards.