"America is the richest country in the history of the world" -- Would a historian consider this true?
score:4
You basically answered your own question:
...it seems like it would be hard to compare our economy to historical civilizations, like for instance, The Roman Empire...
Although aspects of economics have been discussed in the far past, according to the wiki entry:
The publication of Adam Smith's The Wealth of Nations in 1776, has been described as "the effective birth of economics as a separate discipline.
So a groundwork for comparison may be available only for the modern era(which does include the British Empire, but definitely not the Romans; systems were just too different). Even what would seem simple like comparing the value/cost of constructions in the past to those of today becomes complicated by issues comparing labor costs, slave labor values, values of materials extracted by such labor, ect.
Perhaps, as suggested in comments, experts in economics might have some standards to compare these values, and might be a better fit to answer this question.
Upvote:2
It all bows down to what you mean by "rich". Depending on how you define the wealth of a nation, you can get very different results.
Here is a link that describes seven ways to compare the dollar of 1774 to the current one. It has other examples of such comparisons (in UK, Spain, ...). The most ancient one is with the 1270 pound. For each comparison, it uses a wide range of indicators separated in three categories (comm). In short, for each indicator, you have to pick the commodities, incomes or projects the Roman empire (or another country) could buy/provide/finance. Then, once you picked these, you combine them and compare it to the same indicators for modern US.
Regarding commodities, it summed up to asking questions such as "how much pounds of flour could the roman empire have purchased"? For most commodities, the contemporary US would be advantaged, since the means of production are much more efficient.
Regarding incomes, it can be summed up to asking questions such as "how many people could the Roman Empire employ as state worker (or some equivalent)"? The low cost of hiring a slave or convincing someone to do a 20-year long military service in ancient times would definitely give an advantage to the roman empire. However, the US population being larger, it could still catch up. Note that for an honest comparison, slavery should probably be banned.
You also have relative questions, like "what is the percentage of this country's GDP compared to the world's GDP"?
Once you get your answer, it only has meaning with a full description of the indicator.
In order to remove ambiguity and still be right, Mr Sanders could have said something like "the US is the country able to make the biggest pile of hot dogs in the history of the world" (indicator: ability of a country to pile pile up hot dogs). However, it is not really appealing in a political meeting.
More post
- 📝 Which groups of people were awake at night in antiquity?
- 📝 How were snipers used on the western front during WW2?
- 📝 How to build historical maps?
- 📝 Nomination of candidates in 1824 election
- 📝 How did the Japanese populace view the emperor during the Edo Period?
- 📝 Where were the Straits dollars printed?
- 📝 What currently existing IT companies collaborated with Nazi Germany or Fascist Italy?
- 📝 Were there any other systems which resemble the complex election procedure for the doge of Venice
- 📝 Was the post-WW2 form of globalisation a historical abberation?
- 📝 Why did countries declare exclusive economic zones of up to 200 nautical miles?
- 📝 Was there a viable alternate supply route to Australia during World War II?
- 📝 What was the significance of the BEF moving into the gap between German forces in First Battle of the Marne?
- 📝 Did most citizens of the British Empire hold racists views before the post-war period?
- 📝 Which Catholic priests were given diplomatic missions?
- 📝 What changes happened in law enforcement and criminal trials during the Nazi era in Germany?
- 📝 Are there any images within the time period of contemporary history (1945 to the present) that had different interpretations by historians?
- 📝 What was the first printed material owned and kept in Kamchatka?
- 📝 Why did nationalism in all of Europe surge in the 19th century?
- 📝 Did Hitler not intend a major war while invading Poland?
- 📝 Can you identify this artillery shell?
- 📝 How was the black death spread?
- 📝 Identification of Aircraft, Weimar, Germany, May, 1945
- 📝 When did the terms, 1-point, 2,-point, 3-point, etc... perspective come into use?
- 📝 Was non-interventionism before WWII a principled stand, or was it motivated by pro-Nazi sentiment?
- 📝 How did ancient cultures identify a new moon when it can never be seen?
- 📝 How did the Romans build straight roads that stretched very long distances?
- 📝 Are images of the original tablets for the Epic of Gilgamesh available online?
- 📝 Who has the highest yearly, non-stock, cash-only-considered salary in modern history?
- 📝 Can members of the Electoral College vote in opposition of their state's popular vote if they deem the president-elect unfit to serve?
- 📝 Why did the Indian National Congress fail to convince Indian minorities to support united India
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 "America is the richest country in the history of the world" -- Would a historian consider this true?
- 📝 How can I properly learn the history of a country whose language I don't speak or read?
- 📝 Which country in history has had the highest number of presidential assassinations?
- 📝 Is Bulgaria the only country in modern history to have gained territory after being on the losing side of a war?
- 📝 What country has the shortest history of human habitation?
- 📝 Is history always written by the victors?
- 📝 Has an heir ever made the country believe the current ruler died in order to take over the throne?
- 📝 ‘Avoid sleeping on your back’ & ‘breathe in toilet smells’ were seen as precautions against the Black Death. Why did doctors think these would work?
- 📝 Which year in history had the highest ratio of non-natural deaths?
- 📝 Does any country have an official celebration for the annexation of foreign territory?
- 📝 Where would the first nuke have been dropped in Germany?
- 📝 Why would silk underwear disqualify you from the United States military draft?
- 📝 How would a king's servants prove that they are on a task given by the king?
- 📝 What would have been the typical drinks for a US farmer in the late 18th/early 19th century?
- 📝 In the Medieval period, how long would an average swordsmith need to forge an average sword?
- 📝 Where does the name of the country "Belarus" come from?
- 📝 Who was the last leader of a country to call himself a dictator, or the last regime that called itself a dictatorship?
- 📝 Why did the Japanese expect the United States navy would attack the Home Islands?
- 📝 Are there historical instances of the capital of a colonising country being temporarily or permanently shifted to one of its colonies?
- 📝 Which languages would be most useful in Europe at the end of the 19th century?
- 📝 How likely it is that a nobleman of the eighteenth century would give written instructions to his maids?
- 📝 What was the first battle in history fought by vast-majority-% "distance-shooting" non-mechanized force?
- 📝 How long would it take to cross the Channel in 1890's?
- 📝 Is black American history only about segregation, slavery, and the 3 people you get taught about in school?
- 📝 Japan is known for being isolationist, so what cultivated its history of interventionism in the 20th century?
- 📝 Does the Catholic church have a long history of child abuse, or is it something that started in our time?
- 📝 Has there ever been a truly bilingual country prior to the contemporary period?
- 📝 What would have been the price of a loaf of bread in 1645 Amsterdam?
- 📝 What courses would have been required to get a B.A. in America in the 1930s?
- 📝 What is the history of the popped collar?