十六世纪，对殖民地和金条的控制赋予西班牙竞争优势，十七世纪的荷兰从贸易和金融中获利，十八世纪的法国依托庞大的人口和军队，而十九世纪英国的力量则来自于它独一无二的工业地位和海军。
In the sixteenth century, control of colonies and gold bullion gave Spain the edge; seventeenth-century Holland profited from trade and finance; eighteenth-century France gained from its larger population and armies; and nineteenth-century British power rested on its industrial primacy and its navy.