USA

Paul Dukes takes a fresh look at the Cold War in the light of some recurring themes of Russian and American history since the 18th century.

Charles Maechling argues that the Japanese attack, which took place on December 7th 1941, was partly a response to the country's limited energy resources.

Jenny Bryce asks why the Americans introduced the 18th Amendment when the historical evidence suggested it was doomed to failure. This essay won the Julia Wood prize in 2000.

The economic crisis which began in 1929 is often seen as the major turning point in 20th-century world history. Patricia Clavin examines its causes and effects.

California became the thirty-first state of the United States on September 9th, 1850.

Wilbur Miller investigates the historical background to law enforcement in the United States.

Susan-Mary Grant looks at the motivations of ordinary citizens to fight their fellow Americans under either the Confederate or the Union flags.

Esmond Wright recalls the life of the American philosopher, scientist and man of letters in his years in a street near Charing Cross.

Glen Jeansonne describes the anti-war, anti-liberal and antisemitic Mothers’ Movement that attracted a mass following in the United States in the 1930s and 1940s.