INTRODUCTION
As the 20th century dawned, monarchies and empires dominated the world. The British Empire ruled nearly a quarter of the globe’s population and land area by 1913. One year later, however, Europe imploded. Compelled to keep “the world safe for democracy,” a reluctant President Woodrow Wilson led America to the battlefield. The cataclysm of WWI destroyed most of Europe’s imperial dynasties, including those of Germany, Austria-Hungary, and Russia, which – after a decade of civil war – became the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). The world’s first communist government, it was determined to proselytize its ideology across the globe.
America emerged from WWI as the leading economic power, but its people were traumatized. Global instability pushed the disillusioned nation into isolationism, worsening economic tensions and leading to the Great Depression. The 1930s saw further political destabilization with the rise of fascism in Europe coupled with increased Japanese militarism. By 1933, the world was entrenched into three increasingly antagonistic camps: the democratic powers led by America, Great Britain and France; the militarist totalitarian nations of Germany, Japan and Italy; and the communist USSR. Once more, the world waltzed toward war.
Did You Know?
American currency contributed to the war effort! In 1943, the penny’s composition was temporarily altered from 95% copper to zinc-coated steel, saving enough copper to manufacture 1.25 million artillery shells.
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AUDIO COMPANION
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Woodrow Wilson’s (28th) Presidency began with the Federal Reserve Act and racial retrenchment. Re-elected with the slogan, “he kept us out of the war,” Germany’s unrestricted commercial warfare and overtures to Mexico compelled him to enter WWI. (32nd) President Franklin D. Roosevelt faced similar challenges. During the Great Depression, Roosevelt’s New Deal, currency reform and Social Security program ensured re-election. His second term began with a neutral “good neighbor” policy, which died alongside the 2,403 people killed in Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, forcing the nation into global war once more. Roosevelt’s 1945 death left his Vice President to finish the fight. The world was forever changed when (33rd) President Harry Truman approved the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and Hiroshima, forcing Japanese surrender and ending WWII.
The fighting was over, but the next war had already begun. Democracy versus communism, America versus USSR. An icy truce between world powers, the Cold War was a game of cat and mouse played out through proxy states with the threat of nuclear holocaust perpetually in the background. (34th) President Dwight D. Eisenhower negotiated the first military clash in Korea, resulting in a stalemate. (35th) President John F. Kennedy inherited the conflict, eventually taking the ideological fight to the next frontier: space!
