How Losers become Winners

I once wrote a large article about how once huge and powerful empires eventually crumbled and turned into dust. However, this process has its own opposite, how once outcasts and losers turned tables around and became great. In fact, some of these great empires clearly had a miserable beginning, with some others there is not enough information to be clear. However, there was no any cohesive evidence of any great power, that was destined for greatness from the start.

The US

We can begin with the United States itself. Give or take the only current superpower.US had near humblest beginnings out there. Some of it even preserved in stories about pilgrims of the Plymouth Bay colony, that is in modern Massachusetts, where Boston and MIT are.

What is now the US, began as leftover colonies of the Spanish. By the time French and British found out about the new world, Spanish and Portuguese pretty much colonized all valuable land there. So, these two and the Dutch hat to make do with what Spanish could not be bothered with. Modern US and Canada mostly.

The people who settled it were also somewhat of an outcast of the original societies from which they relocated to the Americas. 

For example, Pilgrims were followers of the Puritan Religion, one of the strands of the Protestant Reformation. However, their extreme version of the Christianity eventually provoked ire of British government, who ordered them all to either convent to Anglicanism or leave the UK. Those who left founded Plymouth Bay colony that eventually evolved into Massachusetts Bay Colony and then the US State of Massachusetts as well as other states in the New England Region.

Southern colonists came from more upper class, but no less unfortunate background. Planters of the South were second and third children of nobility. Nobles first born would be groomed to eventually succeed their father as next Lord (peer). However, there was only one title to inherit, so if any given baron had two sons, only one could become Lord after their father's death and enjoy the powers and privilege that brings. The second will do without, so they had no choice but finding their own place in the world and building their wealth from ground up. Some of such gentlemen found their opportunity in American south and set up cotton plantations there. Being sons of Manorial Lords, they organized these plantations in a similar way, substituting peasants for slaves from Africa. 

Middle states, such as New York and Delaware were once Dutch and Swedish colonies respectively. However, these countries could not profit from them, so they abandoned them. the British and the US picked them up. Dutch literary traded whole modern state of New York for what is now Suriname, back in the days Suriname was more profitable and prosperous, so Dutch ditched the big apple for some sugar plantations. 

The trend continued and even intensified when the US became independent. It became an immigration magnet for impoverished and discontent from Europe and eventually the rest of the world.

On the dais Statue of Liberty, that welcomes new arrivals by see there is even an inscription: "Give me your tired, your poor/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free." 

These outcasts not needed elsewhere became Americans and eventually took this country into greatness.

Russia

The US rival from Cold War times, where people sometimes like to pride themselves on not being a bunch of mixed origins immigrants from all over the world, is actually no less mixed than the US.

Back in Peter I times, there was even the special foreign districts where various immigrants from Europe will live. Eventually this practice was abolished, but the people from there simply intermixed with the rest of the population.

Both Peter I and Catherine II as well as all the monarchs between them employed Europeans on many important governmental positions. Scotsman Gordon build Peter I navy and Genevan Frenchman Le Fort built fortifications and artillery; the infamous Lefortovo neighborhood is named after him. Main street of Odessa, Deribasovskaya, is actually named after Jose de Ribas, a Spainard who participated in building this city.

Peter I was not the first who employed foreigners in Russia.

Kievan Rus was founded by the adventurer Rurik from what is now modern Scandinavia. Rurik too thought to improve his lot by going Viking, because back in the days Sweden was not as prosperous as it is now. Rurik and his Scandianvians intermixed with local Slavs and Finno-Ugric people. They relationships with Byzantine Empire brought some Greeks in as well.

Moscow and its state were founded by yet another second son of one Rurikid Prince. Once again older brother could inherit Kyiv or other established city and a younger one had to go to uncharted land and found his own city to rule over. 

Moscowy founders were especially unlucky, because unlike other Rurikids, their first 2 attempts at founding a viable city failed. Rostov and Suzdal has enough fancy buildings for a princely capital, but poor location eventually forced princes to re-found their capital elsewhere. Back in the days, trade and shipping went over the rivers. Unless a city is founded on a river, trade and logistics becomes near impossible. However, founders of Rostov and Suzdal had to learn it from their own mistakes. 

Australia

It is sometimes mentioned that Australia begun as UK's penal colony. When UK lost American Revolutionary War, they had to replace American colonies with something. They choose Australia. Back in the days it was hard land to settle so UK opted to bring convicts here as a form of punishment.

Stories about taming this hard land do exist in Australian songs and national memory.

However, nowadays Australia is one of the most livable places on Earth. It is no longer a frontier. There are enough facilities to enable all modern conveniences.

On the other hand, warm weather, a lot of coastline and low population density makes for a desired spot in a world suffering from congestion and lack of free space and land to buy. It is like a luxury tropical paradise island, like those that celebrities buy. However, Australia is a continent size luxury tropical paradise. Future Monaco on steroids. Shame land prices hot so high before I could buy myself some.

Lack of excessive crime, corruption and other social issues that plague places like China and Russia also an important factor.

Anyhow in future Australia will be as important as the US is nowadays.

UK and Europe

Some people like to see the UK as an example of fanciness and high culture. However, that was not always the case. For a long time, England was a periphery state of little importance. Only after the 7 Years War, the UK got in the spotlight.

Austria allied England to counterbalance French alliance with Brandenburg-Prussia. England was considered as important as one single prince elector in the Holy Roman Empire, even if double titled Margrave and Duke. Just like England, Brandenburg too eventually became important and unified Germany around itself.

Before that high politics, technology and social advancement were done by Dutch France, Austria and Ottomans. Before even that by Spanish and Portuguese and Italians, everyone else was lagging behind. Before even that Byzantine Empire was an heir to Rome and everyone else was considered a barbarian.

Conclusion

History consistently proves that yesterday's losers, barbarians and outcasts often do become leaders of tomorrow.