Is there any way california could be one of the most powerful nations in the world?
Is there any way california could be one of the most powerful nations in the world?
Yes, if it gets all of Las Californias, which is all of the US west of the Rio Grande and south of Oregon. And then annexes Alaska and a bunch Pacific islands. It could do reasonably well spending all that gold on local improvements. The real problem is finding a reason why the US wouldn't gobble it up.
Well it already is the 8th largest economy in OTL. That is pretty good.