The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers

Kennedy surveys the great powers from 1500 to 1980 and argues that their rise and decline track their relative economic strength. When military commitments outgrow the economic base that supports them, a condition he called imperial overstretch, decline follows.

Published in 1987, the book provoked a wide debate about American decline. Its sweep and its clear link between economics and strategy make it one of the most influential works of history of its era, and its argument is again being tested by the rise of China.