Respuesta :
Considering the excerpt, the statement that best paraphrases the central idea of this paragraph is "The United States replaced Britain as a leader in international affairs."
This is evident when the paragraph stated that "...the sites of power spreading outward from Europe to the periphery..."
Here Europe is Britain, while the periphery is the United States because the United States is in the Western Hemisphere.
Also, the paragraph stated that "The governing seat vacated by the collapse of Britain has been taken... by this country."
Here, "this country" means the United States because Barbara Tuchman was an American historian.
Hence, in this case, it is concluded that the correct answer is option C. "The United States replaced Britain as a leader in international affairs."
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