Rise to world power (1890-1945)

This course contains 5 segments:

The age of empire

At the turn of the twentieth century, the United States emerged as a world power and an empire.

The United States in World War I

The United States entered World War I in 1917, fighting on the side of the Allies. Although the US contribution to the war was small relative to the European powers, the war would go on to affect American life into the 1930s.

1920s America

The 1920s were both a "roaring" and a turbulent decade for the United States. A thriving interest in all things modern--technology, jazz, social mores--clashed with a cultural backlash against growing multiculturalism and changing values.

The Great Depression

In 1929, the US stock market crashed, leading to a worldwide economic depression that persisted throughout the 1930s. In the United States, President Franklin D. Roosevelt attempted to fight the Depression with a series of relief and recovery measures known as the New Deal.

World War II

From Pearl Harbor to V-J Day, World War II transformed American life.