The American Dream *was* specific to the United States, mostly because of the principles that our country was founded off of- all men being created equal, each with the right to pursue their goals and prosper from their achievements. Immigrants coming to America had the idea planted in their heads that with enough hard work they could very well end up living a lavish lifestyle and generally do well for themselves. They had a clean slate and could escape from whatever motivated them to leave their former country in the first place, so this was quite the unique opportunity for them. Take, for example, the German immigrants of the 1848 revolution. They escaped the hierarchical society that had been brewing in Europe to find themselves in a place without class privileges or other things to unfairly tip the scales in a certain group of people’s favor. Now, unlike in those times, the American Dream can be completed in any developed country with laws similar to ours- even though examples of its completion are few in number. Instead of discriminatory systems of living, we have the problems of familial wealth and poverty being passed on, along with the two intricate life and career paths that respectively go with those two living conditions. So, no, it’s not specific to the United States- at least not now- but it’s harder to achieve than ever before.
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