United+States

The United States of America
While Europe lay in ruins following the First World War, the United States was in a unique position. Having entered the war late, she managed to escape high casualties and earned a large share of wealth due to trading with allies. Although America was becoming a global economic power, she chose to retreat to her borders politically, refusing to join Woodrow Wilson's League of Nations. During the 1920's, the United States experienced a great economic boom- hence the name "the roaring 20's". Due to the illusory economic prosperity, the United States took it upon herself to aid various European countries who were still suffering from the economic consequences of the Great War, such the Dawe's Plan in Germany. Unfortunately, because of the United State's growing economic role in the world, more and more economies grew dependent on the US. The world economy rested on the shaky foundation of the United States- everything was balanced like a precarious stack of cards. The cards came tumbling down on Tuesday, October 29th (also known as "Black Tuesday"). The crash of the stock market launched the United States and the world (except the USSR) into the Great Depression. Soon after the US entered the depression, President Hoover was ousted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Roosevelt oversaw the worst part of the Depression; he pushed for excessive government spending to create new jobs.The series of reforms was known as the New Deal. Although his attempts to ameliorate [improve] the depression did not succeed, the people of America were hopeful and grateful for his efforts. By the late 1930s, Japan was waging war with China, Germany was expanding throughout Europe, and Italy and Spain were run by fascists, the popular opinion in the United States was the remain isolated. Neutrality Acts. However, FDR realized that eventually the US would be forced to join the inevitable conflict growing on both sides of the country. image?