Mar 31st 2012, 8:30:14
10) ...
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Martian obviously has a passion in history that exceeds my own. After careful consideration for months, I will revise my original post to include the final three dates and possibly modify my original posting. I certainly agree with him on the rise of Mohammed and Roman empire events, but Chinese and Indian history are relatively unimportant, because my list should have been specifically defined on who has influenced the world in its present condition the most. Accordingly, the most important countries to consider in that order is..
1)Great Britain. Certainly #1, it was the foremost colonial power and first real superpower for the longest period of time (1800-1945) and influenced civilizations all over the world.
2,3,4)France, United States, Germany. Cant really place them in any particular order. France for its remarkable cultural influence and second global power between 1700-1900. USA for its massive economic contributions and being the foremost superpower for the past 60 years, and Germany for its pre-eminent influence over Europe.
5)Russia/USSR. I was tempted to place this in a lower position since the ideals that the USSR is known for has undoubtedly failed, but Russia did have influence in stopping Napoleon and its 45 years of being the second most powerful country.
6-7)Italy and Spain. Both are obviously washed-up in terms of their influence. For Spain, their heyday happened earlier in history than the above countries and Italy never rose to a premier level of prominence.
8-9) This is where China and India finally come in. I rank China higher mainly because of recent events, but India has arguably had more cultural influence.