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  • We begin in 1750 in North America.

  • It's been 150 years since settlers from Western Europe, mostly fleeing poverty, famine, or

  • religious and political persecution, first arrived on the continent.

  • Their arrival came at the expense of millions of native Americans

  • who lived there for thousands of years, mostly in tribes.

  • On the East Coast, Great Britain has established colonies inhabited by 1.5 million people.

  • The northern regions depend mainly on fishing and trade, while in the south,

  • the climate is ideal for growing products such as tobacco, rice and cotton.

  • Rich landowners - called the Planters - seize vast territories that they exploit by buying

  • slaves from Africa, via the triangular trade.

  • Further west, the Appalachian mountains form a natural boundary.

  • Beyond it, is the vast French colony, which lives mainly off the fur trade.

  • Tensions rise between the French and British colonies.

  • When the Seven Years' War breaks out in Europe, Britain dominates and takes hold of New France.

  • Native American tribes living there unite to demand the departure of the British and

  • the recognition of their own state.

  • To calm the situation, the British government hurriedly carves out an Indian reservation

  • between the Appalachians, the Mississippi River and the Great Lakes.

  • This does not please the colonists who wanted to seize the opportunity to extend their territories to the west.

  • In addition, war proves costly for Britain.

  • The country expects its colonies to repay part of its debts through new taxes,

  • which further angers the settlers.

  • In Boston, in protest of taxes on tea, colonists disguised as Native Americans climb on board

  • British East India Company ships and throw out its tea cargo into the ocean.

  • With the situation tense, representatives from 12 colonies gather in Philadelphia

  • to organize the First Continental Congress.

  • They decide to boycott British goods.

  • The following year, the War of Independence breaks out, pitting the insurgents --

  • also called the patriots -- against the British and its loyalists.

  • On July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress proclaims the independence

  • of the United States of America.

  • France sees an opportunity to avenge its defeat in the Seven Years' War.

  • Having invested heavily in its military fleet, the country has the means to compete with the Royal Navy.

  • France allies with the patriots.

  • Spain and the United Provinces of the Netherlands, in turn, go to war against Great Britain.

  • In 1783, the patriots prevail, forcing Britain to recognize the independence of the country.

  • The United States receives territories until Mississippi, while Spain seizes Florida.

  • This marks the first time a European colony gains independence.

  • The United States adopts a constitution based on a strict separation of powers.

  • The legislative power formed by Congress passes laws and budgets,

  • the judiciary with the Supreme Court upholds the constitution,

  • and finally there is the executive power with the US president, the head of government.

  • On the other hand, the 13 states retain sovereignty with their own constitution and governor.

  • It was decided to build the new capital, Washington, along the Potomac River.

  • In the West, each new territory with at least 60,000 free citizens would be allowed to form

  • a new state equal to the others.

  • Pioneers set off to relocate there, pushing back Amerindian tribes further west of the Mississippi River.

  • In 1800, France obtained Louisiana from Spain in exchange for the kingdom of Etruria.

  • But it proves difficult to protect this vast, far-away & relatively less known territory.

  • Fearing the loss of Louisiana to the United Kingdom in war, France decides to sell the

  • region to the United States.

  • Congress then funds expeditions to explore and reach the Pacific Ocean.

  • In Europe, France and the UK clash again.

  • The United States first tries to remain neutral, but following tensions with Britain, enters the war.

  • It fails in a bid to invade the colony of Canada, as a British maritime raid

  • reaches Washington and burns the city.

  • At the end of the war, the United States abandons its ambitions in the north

  • and focuses on the south where the Spanish Empire is in decline.

  • A military incursion in Florida allows -- after negotiations -- the annexation of the territory.

  • In the West, Oregon is shared with the United Kingdom.

  • East of the Mississippi, five Amerindian tribes are adapted to the settlers' sedentary

  • and agrarian lifestyle, but Congress nevertheless decides to take over the land

  • and pushes the natives to a reserve west of the Mississippi.

  • Thousands die of exhaustion on the way.

  • In Mexico, Texas, which is populated mainly by settlers from the United States, declares its independence.

  • After a war, the Republic of Texas is created and in 1845 is annexed to the United States.

  • But as the border is poorly defined, both countries are at war.

  • The United States prevails and takes the opportunity to annex New Mexico and California,

  • where the discovery of gold causes a rush that attracts hundreds of thousands of pioneers of all origins.

  • With the land route proving dangerous, private funds are invested in the construction of a railway in Panama.

  • The state of California is admitted, which does not have slavery.

  • Southern states are largely agrarian, and have slavery; while Northern states are industrial and abolitionist.

  • Both sides wish to extend their model to the new western states, causing the gap between them to widen.

  • In 1860, Abraham Lincoln, who is hostile to slavery, is elected president of the country.

  • In response, southern states secede from the United States one by one and band together

  • to proclaim the Confederate States of America.

  • Then begins the Civil War which pits the Unionists of the North against the Confederates of the South.

  • The North sets up a maritime blockade on the Atlantic coast, cutting out any potential

  • support from Europe and blocking cotton exports.

  • In 1865, the North prevails and takes the opportunity to impose its policies.

  • Slavery is abolished, and 3.5 million slaves are freed.

  • But African-Americans are now victims of segregation and racism, especially through the emergence

  • of Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist organization.

  • Many migrate to the North, while others move to cities.

  • The Russian Empire fears losing Alaska to Britain, so chooses to sell the territory

  • to the United States.

  • To accelerate its conquest of the West, the government finances the construction

  • of transcontinental railway lines.

  • In the center of the country, the invention of new machinery allows intensive agriculture.

  • Vast plantations of wheat, corn and large pastures are set up at the expense of the

  • last 250,000 Amerindians who are kept on reserves.

  • On the other hand, the rich soil allows rapid development of industry.

  • The old continent, Europe, now views the United States as an El Dorado.

  • Fleeing poverty and religious persecution, many Southern and Eastern Europeans migrate

  • to the United States where they work as cheap labor.

  • But the economic boom only benefits a minority.

  • An elite group of industrialists grows rich quickly by establishing monopolies in sectors

  • such as steel, railways, oil and banks at the expense of workers and peasants,

  • including women and children working in harsh conditions.

  • Strikes and protests erupt demanding better conditions, but these are often met with violence

  • by private militias or the National Guard.

  • While European powers colonize a large part of the world, the United States also looks

  • to project its power on the international scene.

  • While annexing Hawaii in the middle of the Pacific, the country turns to Cuba

  • where there is a revolt against the Spanish.

  • The United States supports Cuban independentists.

  • After the mysterious explosion of a US Navy ship in the port of Havana,

  • war breaks out between Spain and the United States.

  • The United States wins, obtains the independence of Cuba and seizes Puerto Rico, Guam and the Philippines.

  • The country thus becomes a colonial power.

  • In Colombia, a French company begins construction of a canal that would connect the two oceans,

  • greatly shortening the journey between the US East and west Coast.

  • The United States buys the project and then intervenes to support the independence of Panama.

  • In return, the new government of Panama offers the United States a strip of land,

  • which helps complete the construction of the canal, inaugurated in 1914.

  • In Europe, World War I begins.

  • With workers and peasants on the frontlines, industry on the continent slows down.

  • The US industry takes advantage of this and -- despite the country's neutrality in the war

  • -- sells on credit ammunition, food, clothes and automobiles to the Entente countries.

  • In response, Germany tries to impose a maritime blockade by sinking merchant ships in British waters.

  • In 1917, a German telegram destined for Mexico is intercepted, proposing a military alliance

  • against the United States.

  • This pushes the United States to go to war on the side of the Entente,

  • and 2 million soldiers are sent to European fronts.

  • 116,000 soldiers lose their lives.

  • After the victory of the Entente, Europe finds itself indebted to the United States.

  • The economy of the US prospers.

  • In factories, improvements in the assembly line cause production to skyrocket and decrease prices.

  • The rise in purchasing power and credit results in a boom for the sale of cars,

  • all kinds of appliances, and bank shares.

  • Hollywood becomes a major industry with global influence.

  • Thanks to the sale of radios, music genres such as jazz become popular.

  • In New York mainly, night clubs open, stimulating the sale of alcohol.

  • The more conservative government tries to stem the phenomenon by voting for prohibition,

  • forbidding the production, transport or sale of alcohol.

  • In response, thousands of speakeasies spring up throughout the country.

  • Mafia networks seize the market and get rich quickly.

  • Meanwhile, the South misses out on this wave of prosperity.

  • Falling prices for agricultural products plunge the region into poverty.

  • The Ku Klux Klan comes back into prominence,

  • this time also targeting Catholics, Jews and immigrants in addition to African-Americans.

  • The organization reaches 5 million members, and is then banned after several lynching episodes.

  • In 1929, the Wall Street Stock Market crash takes place.

  • The US economy collapses.

  • In a few short years, a string of bankruptcies of companies and banks

  • pushes a quarter of the active population into unemployment.

  • Prohibition is lifted, and steps are taken to try to revive the economy and improve working conditions.

  • In Europe, World War II breaks out.

  • The United States, although officially neutral, prepares for war by reinstating military service.

  • In addition, the country sells arms mainly to the United Kingdom and the USSR.

  • In the Pacific Ocean, in order to curb the expansion of imperialist Japan allied to Nazi Germany,

  • the United States imposes upon the country an embargo on steel and oil.

  • In response, Japan launches a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, causing the United States to enter the war.

  • The country secretly embarks upon a research program to create the atomic bomb.

  • In 1945, the Allies overcome Germany.

  • The USSR and the United States then unite against Japan.

  • A ground invasion by the Soviets and the two atomic bombs dropped by the United States

  • on the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki force Japan to surrender.

  • At the end of the war, the United States supports the creation of the United Nations whose primary

  • role is to maintain peace and security in the world.

  • Europe finds itself in ruins and is exhausted by war.

  • The United States and the USSR emerge as the two great world powers.

  • After World War II, the USSR and the United States try and peddle their influence in Europe.

  • The United States implements the Marshall Plan, while the Soviet Union supports pro-communist

  • governments in Eastern countries.

  • The old continent is found divided by the Iron Curtain.

  • The USSR and the United States engage in a cold war -- that is an arms race without direct confrontation.

  • The US, largely spared the ravages of war on its territory, has an industrial, economic

  • and military advantage.

  • Inside the country, federal officials sympathetic to communist ideas are dismissed.

  • Hollywood is also used to churn out anti-communist propaganda.

  • On the global arena, the country employs an interventionist policy, aimed at stemming

  • at all costs the spread of communism.

  • The US intervenes in Greece, China, and engages its military in Korea and Vietnam.

  • The Soviet Union, for its part, invests heavily to catch up with the US.

  • After developing atomic weapons of its own, it becomes the first country to send a satellite

  • into orbit, and further outdoes itself by sending the first man into space.

  • The United States then launches the Apollo program

  • which aims to send the first astronaut to the Moon.

  • In Cuba, an attempt to overthrow the new communist government fails.

  • The Soviet Union takes advantage to ally with the country, and installs nuclear missiles

  • on its territory, pointed at the United States.

  • Tensions build to a point where it seemed a third world war was imminent.

  • However, an accord is reached between the two world powers, resulting in the USSR withdrawing from Cuba.

  • Within the country, more and more civil rights movements gain momentum, forcing the government

  • to review its social policies.

  • African-Americans begin non-violent actions to combat segregation.

  • More and more women enter the workforce and demand equal pay.

  • Native Americans also fight for better conditions.

  • Moreover, with the US at war in Vietnam, students and hippie pacifist movements call for peace.

  • In 1969, the country sends the first man to the moon.

  • Worldwide, millions of viewers watch the event live on their television.

  • On the global arena, the United States tries to ease tensions.

  • It begins diplomatic rapprochement with China, and signs agreements with the USSR

  • to limit the global arms race.

  • In the Middle East, the US supports Israel in the Yom Kippur War,

  • for which it is then subject to an oil embargo imposed by OPEC countries.

  • In Vietnam, after negotiations, the United States withdraws their army.

  • Two years later, the Communists prevail in the country, tarnishing the image of the United States.

  • The USSR takes this opportunity to intensify its international policy.

  • The country occupies Afghanistan, and in reaction

  • the United States provides militarily support to the Mujahideen.

  • In Central America, US also intervenes in Nicaragua and Guatemala to counter communist revolutions.

  • Iran, after a revolution, becomes an Islamic republic that goes against US policy.

  • The latter strengthens its military presence in the Middle East to ensure the security of oil supply.

  • On the Soviet side, the USSR struggles to contain the revolutions in Eastern Europe.

  • With its economy in tatters, despite attempts at reform, in 1991, the USSR collapses,

  • marking the end of the Cold War.

  • The United States emerges as the only major world power.

  • Domestically, the population calls for more investment in the fight against poverty,

  • crime, gangs and drugs.

  • However, the US continues to primarily focus on its foreign policy,

  • showing an apparent willingness to become the world's policeman of sorts.

  • When Iraq invades Kuwait, which then held 9% of the known oil reserves in the world,

  • the United States forms a coalition and neutralizes the Iraqi army.

  • The US then establishes a list of countries considered as rogue and threatening global peace and stability.

  • These nations are subjected to blockades and embargoes.

  • Meanwhile, the military presence of an ally of Israel in the Middle East

  • bothers radical Islamists, including the terrorist group Al Qaeda headed by Osama bin Laden,

  • who is a former ally from the Afghan war.

  • US facilities and assets around the world are targeted by terrorist attacks.

  • On September 11, 2001, the United States becomes the victim of a large-scale terrorist attack on its territory.

  • Terrorism thus becomes the new enemy of the country.

  • But it proves more difficult to fight this war as terrorist organizations operate discreetly

  • in mobile networks without borders.

  • Having launched a war against the Taliban in Afghanistan,

  • the US hardens its stance against North Korea, Iran and Iraq,

  • which it considers part of anAxis of Evil”.

  • A new war is launched against Iraq, but US troops - after quickly overthrowing the government

  • - find themselves fighting against several terrorist groups in the region.

  • In 2007, the subprime mortgage shock, followed by the financial crisis

  • plunges the global economy into turmoil.

  • The country tries to revive its economy, among other measures, by boosting the extraction

  • of shale oil on its territory.

  • Today the interventionist policy of the country is increasingly countered by rising powers

  • such as Russia and China.

  • The United States, however, remains the most powerful economy and military in the world.

We begin in 1750 in North America.

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