"The surest indicator of a great nation is not the achievements of its rulers, artists, or scientists, but the general welfare of all its people."
There have been many great nations in the history such as the Tang Dynasty in China and the ancient Egypt. At present, the United States is seen as the most substantial country in the world. However, is the general well-being of all people in the country the only criteria to judge a great nation? I contend that the people, governors, artists and scientists should all be concluded as a whole when looking at this question.
To begin with, the welfare of people is very crucial to a great nation. Since people are the main community of a country, if their living standard cannot be guaranteed, few individuals would perhaps consider this country great. I would be hard-pressed to figure out even one great country whose people are in a relatively difficult living circumstance in their era. In contrast, the nations which are much concerned about their populus, providing good welfare to them, are always the great ones in most people's eyes. For instance, we all know that Switzerland do the best in making its people live easier and set up social rules to guarantee the welfare. As a result, it is hard to see beggars on the streets or even an absolute poor person in Switzerland. This is one reason why most people regard this country as the best one in this planet.
However, we should not ignore the contributions for societies made by the political leaders, artists and scientists, whose achievements also impulse the development of a nation to a large extent. First consider the political leaders. The former president of the United State--Abraham Lincoln, eliminated slavery and speeded up the solidarity of the Northern and the Southern of America. It is not exaggerated to say that without Lincoln maybe the contemporary America cannot be so powerful and solid.
Turn attention to the scientists. James Watt was a Scottish inventor and mechanical engineer whose improvements to steam engine were fundamental to the changes brought by the Industrial Revolution both in the Kingdom of Great Britain and the rest of the world. Without his achievements, the UK cannot stand in the teams of world leaders now.
Finally, give consideration to the artists. Although the art works made by them, cannot provide people with money, but what they bring about is the mental treasures, providing the beauty to community. Austria is seen as the center of music as there are many great musicians in this country, such as Mozart and Haydn, whose masterpiece have strong influences to the music all over the world.
In a nut shell, only the well-being of people is not enough to judge a great nation. The accomplishments of the social rulers, artists and scientist should be considered as well. To develop towards a great nation, we should pay much attention to all these aspects.
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Please give some advice. Very appreciate your help.
This would be great if it were being written as a TOEFL essay. For a GRE essay, you'll need more depth. Start by defining key terms. What is meant by "general welfare," for instance? How would you measure it? In what way might it be contingent upon the achievements of rulers, scientists, and artists? Use your answers to these questions to guide you in elaborating on the significance of your existing examples.
