As horrifying as the thought may be the theory of “manifest destiny” may have been correct in the 19th and 20th centuries. Just as the evolution of man himself perhaps the nation we built was just going to happen no matter how badly or well we managed things. After all our founding fathers really weren’t different than many other men of their time. George Washington, John Adams, and Thomas Jefferson all had their own personal issues. Other people of that time could certainly have stepped into the roles those men played. History books support this understanding.
“What’s good for GM is good for America” was a mantra of big business throughout the 20th century. General Motors (GM) was founded on September 27, 1908. Just one hundred years later the company found itself asking for government aid to stay in business. It isn’t just GM that has faced serious decline; many other companies that had been considered permanent parts of America have seen their life end or seen their fortunes fail dramatically. U.S. Steel, Circuit City, Zenith, A&P are all examples of companies that either no longer exist or are significantly dwarfed from their previous size.
Apple, Xerox, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and DuPont are examples of companies that have turned back from potential failure. Ford Motor Company has faced collapsed on more than one occasion and returned to success.
So the question asked by Jim Collins (author of How The Mighty Fall) to 12 U.S. Army generals and 12 social sector leaders was: Is America renewing its greatness or is America dangerously on the cusp of falling from great to good? The response was a great debate.
When you consider how the United States has coped with the world since 9-11-2001 it is easy to see where the nation has failed at what most of us thought about our nation. We are the only super power in the world. Russia invaded Georgia and has thumbed its nose at America. Iran and North Korea have been successfully doing what they want without regard to the American government. However, America was stunned but not defeated by the attack on Pearl Harbor. The United States went forward to defeat its enemies.
No superpower nation has withstood the test of time. Is the United States riding the crest of a wave? There are many indications that this is the situation now. General Motors may be an early indicator or maybe not.
Right now we lack the FDR or Abraham Lincoln to lead the way. History has shown that a new leader will appear. I can’t believe it’s all over.
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