Third Quarter: The Fall and Rise of America
The forward thinking Progressives in the America yearning for extreme changes in society brought that philosophy into government beginning in 1901. Newsreels began to show the American people images from around the world during this time, helping Americans to realize that we were, in fact, more of a "global society". This introduction to the world abroad grew into fascination as America began to desire to expand her borders overseas (Imperialism). In doing so, it brought us into direct contact and direct conflict with other countries looking to expand their "spheres of influence" into the global community. The desire for overseas colonies and new markets to jump start a growing American economy were the progressive ideas of the time that promised to promote prosperity for a new America. However,this new prosperity, much like the rise of industry that came prior to it, also carried with it a dark side. The new realization that America's economic success depended on our success in a global market place would make our success and failure dependent on what was happening not just on our homeland, but in the distant lands of our friends and neighbors as well. Our desire to expand and gain wealth, power and influence on a global scale combined with our new role in the world -"keeping the world safe for democracy" will combine to draw us into the world's deadliest conflict of the 20th century - World War I.
At the conclusion of World War I, most Americans were tired of the stresses that war had brought on them both at home and abroad. Americans were looking for a "return to normalcy" or to how life had been before the war. War time manufacturing and industrialization had brought a tremendous amount of money into the country and many people "got rich quick". As people acquired more money, they began investing that money in companies' stocks and spending it on luxuries & having fun. Jazz music, swing dancing, women's liberation (19th amendment) and prohibition all brought great changes to modern American society. The rise in organized crime and gangsters created by prohibition caused the government to rethink the effects prohibition was having on American society. As a result, the 18th amendment (prohibition) was repealed (canceled) by the 21st amendment.
"Nothing good lasts forever ..." as the old saying goes and on the 29th of October 1929, all the boom of the roaring 20's came to an abrupt end with the stock market crashing and hundreds of investors loosing millions of dollars. America began her worst economic crisis in history - the Great Depression. he worst and longest downturn in our economic history threw millions of hardworking individuals into poverty, and for more than a decade neither the free market nor the federal government was able to restore prosperity. The Depression provided the cause for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which forever changed the relationship between the American people and their government. It is usually considered to be one of the most significant periods of political reform in American history. Although president Roosevelt's "alphabet agencies" did alot to help Americans in their time of need, the thing that will bring America out of the depression will be the restarting of it's manufacturing base and a second world war- World War II. The war in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis nation, Japan. The conflict spilled over into Africa, included a handful of incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles.
It was the largest armed conflict in history, spanning the entire world and involving more countries than any other war, as well as introducing powerful new weapons, culminating in the first use of nuclear weapons.
At the conclusion of World War I, most Americans were tired of the stresses that war had brought on them both at home and abroad. Americans were looking for a "return to normalcy" or to how life had been before the war. War time manufacturing and industrialization had brought a tremendous amount of money into the country and many people "got rich quick". As people acquired more money, they began investing that money in companies' stocks and spending it on luxuries & having fun. Jazz music, swing dancing, women's liberation (19th amendment) and prohibition all brought great changes to modern American society. The rise in organized crime and gangsters created by prohibition caused the government to rethink the effects prohibition was having on American society. As a result, the 18th amendment (prohibition) was repealed (canceled) by the 21st amendment.
"Nothing good lasts forever ..." as the old saying goes and on the 29th of October 1929, all the boom of the roaring 20's came to an abrupt end with the stock market crashing and hundreds of investors loosing millions of dollars. America began her worst economic crisis in history - the Great Depression. he worst and longest downturn in our economic history threw millions of hardworking individuals into poverty, and for more than a decade neither the free market nor the federal government was able to restore prosperity. The Depression provided the cause for President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal, which forever changed the relationship between the American people and their government. It is usually considered to be one of the most significant periods of political reform in American history. Although president Roosevelt's "alphabet agencies" did alot to help Americans in their time of need, the thing that will bring America out of the depression will be the restarting of it's manufacturing base and a second world war- World War II. The war in Europe began in earnest on September 1, 1939 with the invasion of Poland by Nazi Germany, and concluded on September 2, 1945, with the official surrender of the last Axis nation, Japan. The conflict spilled over into Africa, included a handful of incidents in the Americas, and a series of major naval battles.
It was the largest armed conflict in history, spanning the entire world and involving more countries than any other war, as well as introducing powerful new weapons, culminating in the first use of nuclear weapons.