The case of the United States raises similar questions. Although Germany and the United States may lay claim to being the world's leading capitalist states, their differences are striking. Like Germany, the values of the US were deeply affected by the nature of the problems and opportunities its people faced in an early formative period, but its problems were profoundly different from those of Germany, producing distinctly different results. The US was deeply affected in the shaping of its early national values by the fact that so many of its early leaders were fugitives from strong central governments and powerful state religions in Europe. The entrepreneur was the hero.
Labor unions play a far less important role than in Europe.
Concepts of social partnership are anathema to many US citizens. The best government, according to a growing number of the country's political leaders, is small government. The ability of US enterprises to restructure their workforces, abandon some installations and relocate others as changing technologies have required has given many US firms a new edge in international competition. But untrained workers have suffered, and the real income of workers as a whole has stagnated for more than a decade. So, once again, the imperative of adaptation and change seems to be present.