In this work, Lachman, largely relying on his previous books, "Capitalists involuntarily" and "States and Power," already published in Russia, analyzes the mechanisms of gaining, retaining and losing global hegemony with an emphasis on modern American material. Comparing the current position of the United States with the two previous powers? hegemons - The Netherlands and the United Kingdom, Lachman concludes that the loss of the ability of American elites to effectively reform predetermines the irreversible decline of the global dominance of the United States, although in the financial sphere their hegemony is likely to continue for a long time.