[XBob]

37 - "The fact that the U.S. population, resource base, transportation infrastructure, etc. far exceeded anything that Great Britain had to offer was the major cause of this, not the tariffs. In fact, if you look at Great Britain compared to the rest of the world in these areas I mentioned, it's a wonder they managed to remain an economic power for as long as they did."

Horay - you got it - we have all this bounty here - just like Africa, just like Soviet Union, just like India and China, Just like South and Central america and Mexico, who all have more wealth than Poor countries like Germany, Japan, US, etc. </sarcasm>

[Alberta's Child]

Horay - you got it - we have all this bounty here - just like Africa, just like Soviet Union, just like India and China, Just like South and Central america and Mexico, who all have more wealth than Poor countries like Germany, Japan, US, etc.

Of course not. If you look at the items I listed (population, resource base, and transportation infrastructure), you'll see that I only listed those things in which the U.S. and Great Britain differed. I specifically did not list the things that countries like Great Britain, the U.S., Germany, Japan, etc. have in common, because they would not have accounted for any differences between the nations in question.

These additional factors do, however, explain why the U.S., Germany, Great Britain, Japan, etc. have always been stronger economically than other countries that are "wealthier" in terms of population and natural resources. These factors -- which include such things as a stable currency, sound legal system (particularly with regard to land titles), stable government, etc. -- are far more important than the ones I included in my original list.