7 The American share of world industrial production indicated in Table 6-1 also reveals this basic economic preponderance. A similar disparity existed in military power, as seen in the relative share of military expenditures among the great powers see Table 6–2). The United States ended the war with an unprecedented lead in military capability, which in turn declined somewhat after the Soviet Union recovered and the Cold War began. American relative military capability in relation toWestern Europe, however, remained preponderant during the postwar decades.