America grew from a colony to a superpower in 200 years. Help us make more ambitious videos by joining the Vox Video Lab. It gets you exclusive perks, like livestream Q&As with all the Vox creators, a badge that levels up over time, and video extras bringing you closer to our work! Learn more at http://bit.ly/video-lab 2:07 Correction: Cuba seceded from the US in 1902. With over 800 military bases around the globe, the US is easily the most powerful nation on earth. But it wasn't always this way. The US once played an insignificant role in global affairs. In this 8-minute video, you can see the transformation. Military budget data: https://www.nationalpriorities.org/campaigns/military-spending-united-states/ US foreign bases based on David Vine's book, "Base Nation" http://www.davidvine.net/base-nation.html Troop numbers: "Total Military Personnel and Dependent End Strength By Service, Regional Area, and Country". Defense Manpower Data Center. November 7, 2016. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com/ Check out our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H Or on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o