India

India became an independent country in 1947. It had been a colony of England for the hundred years before that and was a third world country with most people living in abject poverty. From 1947 to 1950 India made the transition to a free market democracy and moved to what is called a developing nation today. The GDP went from $88 per person in 1950 to $2,200 today but more importantly the life expectancy increased from 32 years to 72 years. Having enough food to keep from starving goes a long way toward a healthier life. The population increased from 340 million to 1.4 billion and all this can be traced to trade with countries like the US and the jobs that go along with the trade.