Answer: a sense of oppression and domination
Explanation:
The phrase that best describes the connotation of the word “reigns" is a sense of oppression and domination.
Reign means to exercise sovereign power or to be able to exercise authority over someone or a nation. American reigns without a rival implies the domineering power that the country has over others.
The aggressive preparation of war was growing along with nations armies during the buildup to both World War I and World War II. This was due in part to nationalism.
Demolish could be a word to fit in there
Because then it has a sense of image on what the reader is trying to convey