Which of the following statements is/are correct about ‘Superpower’?
(I) William Fox first used the term ‘Superpower’ in 1943. (II) According to him, The United States, The Soviet Union, and Britain were superpowers.

Correct option is B

· Statement (I) is incorrect. While the term ‘superpower’ is widely attributed to William Fox, he actually coined the term in 1944, not 1943, as the question suggests. In his 1944 paper titled “The Super-Power”, Fox defined a superpower as a nation with significant military, economic, and political influence on a global scale. This was during the end of World War II, as the world’s geopolitical landscape was shifting.
· Statement (II) is correct. Fox identified the United States and the Soviet Union as the two superpowers due to their enormous military, economic, and political influence post-World War II. However, Fox did not include Britain as a superpower. Britain, though powerful, was recovering from the war and did not have the same level of influence as the US and USSR. Fox's idea of a superpower required the nation to have the ability to project its power across the globe, a condition that only the US and USSR met at that time.
Information Booster:
· William Fox and the Superpower Concept: William Fox, an American political scientist, is credited with coining the term superpower in 1944. He used the term to refer to nations that had the capacity to influence global events across multiple domains, including military, economic, and diplomatic power.
· United States and Soviet Union as Superpowers: At the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were seen as the two dominant global powers, often referred to as the "superpowers." They had vast military resources, particularly nuclear weapons, and were ideologically opposed, marking the start of the Cold War.
· Britain’s Role Post-WWII: While Britain had been a significant global power before World War II, its influence waned after the war due to economic difficulties and the loss of its colonies. It was not considered a superpower by Fox’s criteria, although it was still an important player in international relations.
· Superpowers in the Modern Era: The term "superpower" is often used today to describe countries that have the ability to influence global decisions and shape international norms. The US and the USSR were the two superpowers during the Cold War, but after the fall of the USSR in 1991, the US became the dominant superpower. Today, China is often considered a rising superpower, challenging the US’s global influence.