Where did signs first appear that powerful states were losing the struggle to pay for their own centralizing and military success?

[World History, 1720-1763]

Asia is where it was apparent that powerful states were struggling to pay for their military success

Explanation:

In Asia, old Empires such as the Ottomans and the Safavid Persia was weakening in power. Previous military successes had lead to large expenditures which the government could not provide.

In case of Ottoman, it was clear that the vast Empire, spread upon three continents was fractured and the central government will not be able to control them for long. The local Arab revolts as well as the ones in Balkans were some of the most difficult to contain.

In India, the Mughal Empire was at it's peak but were already loosing ground to the Marathas, the Deccan Empires and eventually the arrival of Europeans.