Originally Posted by
ElkeNorEast
Ummmmmm...what about the English Civil War and the American Revolution (we were revolting against Great Britain)?
London profits greatly from the fact that it is the main English-speaking EU city, which makes it very attractive for American companies that want to do business with Europe.
I don't recall the American revolution being fought in London, but maybe my memory is failing me. However, I would say that WWII had a drastic effect on the British economy.
London is home to many more companies than just American ones. Luckily, the British Empire consisted of much more than just America, or it wouldn't have been much of an empire at all. Knowing how my company operates, if it were signifacantly more strategic or profitable to have an office in, say, Paris or Berlin, they wouldn't chose London just because of ease of language. Most execs at our (and I would venture to say most) European offices speak fluent English anyway. Long story short, I think it's more than just language.