Western society has dominated the global market since the very outset of international trade. From the days of the glorious British Empire to the modern day United States, the world has always had the tendency of being dependent upon the economy of the strongest Western power. Why is it always the West that takes charges, comes to the forefront, and takes on the economic burden of the entire world? Why haven't non-Western cultures such as the East, the Mid-East, or Africa unified themselves to be the same type of world force that The United States, Great Britain, and the European Union? With the advent of the industrial revolution, as well as significant technological advances (most notably those in the communication and banking industries) theoretically all countries can be considered equal in these terms. It is my belief that the reason why the West is the most economically dominant culture is because of a mental and/or attitude edge given to it by its most common unifying force, the Christian faith. The substantive area of study for this paper is international relations, as I look to discern a relationship between a country's level of Christianity and a country's level of wealth as defined by the GDP per capita in US dollars.
             Many social scientists have inquired about the West's dominance in world economic affairs. Upon doing research, I've found that many other political scientists also have had a theory similar to mine in that there must be some relationship between a country's level of Christianity and its economic development. One of the earliest, and perhaps the most famous political scientist whose work I have researched was the German sociologist, economist, and political scientist, Max Weber.
             In his most famous work, The Protestant Ethic, Weber stated his belief that the rationalization of action could only be realized when traditional ways of life are abandoned. Modern people often have a difficult time realizing th...