Every age produces its own answers. 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 industrial and naval primacy.
对此每一个时代都有自己的答案。在16世纪，西班牙靠着对殖民地以及黄金的控制占了上风；17世纪的荷兰则从贸易和金融中大获其利；18世纪的法国凭借庞大的人口和军队独占鳌头；而19世纪的英国则借助以工业和海军建设为先的手段。