United States, 1941–1945

Democracy · Republic · North America · World War II era

The United States in the Second World War, a democracy converting its vast economy into the "arsenal of democracy" and emerging as a superpower.

After Pearl Harbor the United States mobilized its enormous industrial capacity as the "arsenal of democracy", fielding vast forces across Europe and the Pacific while the domestic economy boomed and civil institutions continued to function. Wartime measures included rationing and, controversially, the internment of Japanese Americans. The country emerged in 1945 as the world’s dominant economic and military power and sole possessor of the atomic bomb.

Open United States 1941–1945 in the interactive 3D atlas →

Dominant patterns

  • External Expansion
  • Militarization
  • Democratization
  • Regime Stabilization

Political-science factor profile

Each factor 0–100; higher = stronger authoritarian / crisis pole (except institutional stability, where higher = stronger institutions).

Centralization of Power58
Media Control50
Repression42
Nationalism68
Militarization92
Economic Stress35
External Conflict92
Cult of Personality42
Elite Fragmentation35
Institutions80
Social Polarization38
Corruption & Patrimonialism30
Ideological Mobilization48
External Sovereignty100

Economy & society

GDP per capita$9500 (intl-$)
GDP growth+8%/yr
Population135.0M people
Share of world population5.9%
Urban share57%
Territory~9.4M km²
Capital population~900k

Closest historical twins

The country-eras whose structural profile most resembles United States 1941–1945, by similarity score (0–100).

  1. United Kingdom, 1939–1945 – similarity 94/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  2. Great Britain, 1783–1815 – similarity 93/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  3. United States, 1945–1968 – similarity 91/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  4. Sparta, 490–371 BCE – similarity 87/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  5. Prussia, 1797–1815 – similarity 86/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  6. Japan, 1868–1912 – similarity 85/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization
  7. Germany, 1890–1914 – similarity 84/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization
  8. Japan, 1905–1918 – similarity 84/100 · shared: External Expansion, Militarization, Democratization, Regime Stabilization

What followed

  • Decisive Allied victory across two oceans.
  • Emergence as the leading world power.