What stopped the developed world to become wealthy?

Question

while the UK, USA and Japan prospered, what exactly happened to the other southern countries. why didn't they grow together and become wealthy? i mean, they had everything you could think of, infact more land, more fertile soils, more natural resources, more agriculture, etc.. then what stopped them developing. can you suggest any reasons?

Answer 1

Exporting jobs to China. I don't like unions either, but that is ridiculous. It is time for labor to learn what their true role is. They do not run the company, for one thing.

Answer 2

Their Governments....

Poor Fiscal Policies and Socialist Governments is what kept many countries in the ice box. Now that the world is waking up to capitalism, we are seeing once impoverished nations becoming wealthy.  China, India, Brazil, etc....    

Those who embrace free markets will prosper. Those who embrace Socialism (ie: Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Cuba) will fail.

Answer 3

Africa was colonized until after WWII as was India and much of south east Asia.  In South American  and  much of the US south the wealth and land was controlled by a few very rich people who exerted influence on the government to protect their wealth and privilege. This produced  political instability as well as  an inefficient economic policy neither of which is good for growth. Tropical countries have an additional problem of diseases like malaria, yellow fever etc that means that many people are not healthy enough to work which also  hurts economic growth.

Answer 4

War.  They weren't involved in financing war.  This is a VERY profitable business and primarily the reason the US has always been so apt to engage in it.....especially when you arm your enemies (ie: funding and training Al-Qeada)