The USA was one of the victors in the First World War and it enjoyed a period of great prosperity in the 1920's, though there was a darker side to American life even then. In the 1930's the Great Depression began in America and its effects were very serious there. Unlike Germany, though, the USA managed to avoid dictatorship and remained a democracy (the
Government being elected by the people) .The man who was to cure the worst effects of the Depression, President Roosevelt, was democratically elected (a majority of the people voted for him) four times similarly, the methods he used to combat the Depression were approved by Congress (the American parliament).

Pages in this unit

The USA in the 1920's, Isolationism, Racism, Prohibition and Gangsterism, The "Roaring Twenties", American History Links, The American Revolution, American History Activities