[mdw]

> Similar the US did become independent first and then largely developed what is nowadays called western culture.

I stopped reading here. The US developed its own culture, it did not largely develop 'western' culture, though it is very influential.

[yk]

Well, I did expand the claim several times when writing the comment. The thing is, if you look at the world of the 1780ies, then there is only one democracy ( for comparison, France is still an absolute monarchy, Britain has some democratic elements but is mostly a monarchy). So it is probably some hyperbole and certainly glosses over all details, especially that cultures are interconnected, I think it is not a too strong statement.