Unit 8
By 1914 Europe was ready to explode. The Great War involved most of Europe and colonies belonging to the European powers. The war would also bring the US out of isolation; for a time. The map of Europe was drastically changed. The failures of the Treaty of Versailles to stop another war would lead to the Second World War in 1939. The twenty years between the two wars would see economic boom for some and bust for all, revolution in Russia, the rise of totalitarian regimes in Spain, Italy, and Germany, and the aggression from Japan in Asia. The thirty year period between the start of WWI and the end WWII fundamentally changed the course of the 20th century.
Two nations emerged as global superpowers at the end of WWII. The United States and the Soviet Union would be locked in an ideological battle for the most of the second half of the 20th century and this "cold war" would involve most of the world. The Cold War would be fought in many different ways such as through the space race, proxy wars, propaganda, and covert actions. At the same time as the Cold War many European colonial claims would fight for their independence. By the end of the century new threats emerged to challenge the global balance of power moving into the 21st century.
Two nations emerged as global superpowers at the end of WWII. The United States and the Soviet Union would be locked in an ideological battle for the most of the second half of the 20th century and this "cold war" would involve most of the world. The Cold War would be fought in many different ways such as through the space race, proxy wars, propaganda, and covert actions. At the same time as the Cold War many European colonial claims would fight for their independence. By the end of the century new threats emerged to challenge the global balance of power moving into the 21st century.
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