The "Greatest Country" nonsense originated as U.S. Cold War propaganda. It was used to combat the growing interest in socialism as an alternative to colonialism, in Third World countries. The gist of it was that Capitalism was the only economic system that could improve the lives of Third World peoples: "Be like us, and you too, can have automobiles, refrigerators, and television sets!". As a collateral effect, it was designed to make American workers more accepting of mindless consumerism, and develop in them a more positive attitude towards wage-slavery: "Aren't you piss-ants grateful you work for us?"