U.S. investment immigration listens to the American story: World War II greatly changed the balance of power globally. Western Europe, which had been at the center since the rise of capitalism, was severely weakened, while the United States rose to become a superpower, ascending to the position of hegemon in the capitalist world.
During the war, the United States, with two oceans as natural barriers, kept the war away from its homeland, and its production capacity was not damaged. Moreover, the U.S. economy experienced rapid growth due to the global demand for military supplies and food. From March 1941 to December 1945, as the "arsenal of democracy," the U.S. supplied approximately $49.1 billion worth of military supplies and food to countries such as the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union through the Lend-Lease Act. This not only supported the anti-fascist war but also stimulated U.S. industrial production. From 1940 to 1944, the average annual growth rate of industry reached 16.9%. By 1945, compared to 1939, U.S. industrial production capacity had expanded by about 40%. Its Gross National Product rose from $88.6 billion in 1939 to $135 billion in 1945.
In the early post-war period, the United States accounted for more than half of the industrial production in the capitalist world, one-third of exports, three-quarters of gold reserves, and one-third of grain harvests; its economic and political influence significantly strengthened. Meanwhile, its main competitors were severely weakened and had to rely on U.S. aid. In June 1947, British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin remarked that the United States "is in the position that Britain was in at the end of the Napoleonic Wars. After the Napoleonic Wars, Britain controlled about 30% of the world's wealth. Today, the United States controls about 50%."
As one of the main combatants in World War II, the United States, backed by a strong economy, also saw a rapid expansion of its military strength. In 1939, the total number of U.S. armed forces was only 335,000, with a defense budget of just $1 billion. By the end of the war in 1945, these figures had risen to 12.12 million and over $80 billion, respectively. The United States possessed more than 1,200 warships centered around aircraft carriers and over 50,000 supply and landing vessels, with a naval tonnage of 3.8 million tons, far exceeding Britain's 1.5 million tons, making it the largest naval power in the world. The United States had the most powerful air force in the world at that time. Its 15,000 long-range aircraft almost monopolized intercontinental air transport. In the early post-war period, the United States stationed troops in 56 countries and established 484 military bases abroad, also monopolizing atomic weapons. The United States had become a global military power, with its military strength not only dominant in the capitalist world but also clearly superior to that of the Soviet Union.
In terms of science and technology, the United States was also at the forefront of the world. During World War II, due to the needs of the war, the U.S. government concentrated a large amount of manpower and resources on scientific research. From 1941 to 1945, the number of scientists employed in research increased from 87,000 to 199,000. At the same time, a large number of world-class scientists, represented by Albert Einstein, fled to the United States, giving it an unprecedented intellectual advantage. The atomic bomb development project, codenamed the "Manhattan Project," was the result of collaboration among scientists from various countries. On July 16, 1945, the first successful test of an atomic bomb marked the beginning of the era of large-scale utilization of atomic energy.
By the end of 1945, the United States had produced the world's first electronic computer, marking the beginning of the application of electronic computers worldwide. The development of science and technology during the war laid the foundation for the post-war United States to become the center of global technology, making it the first country to initiate the third technological revolution.
The enhancement of economic and military strength objectively pushed the United States to the center of the capitalist world, establishing its status as a superpower. With an economy and military strength far stronger than that of other countries, it openly pursued global hegemony. On December 29, 1945, U.S. President Harry Truman stated in a message to Congress: "Victory has made it a constant and urgent necessity for the American people to lead the world."