Historical Dictionary from the Great War to the Great Depression

The period from 1913 to 1933 is not often seen as a coherent entity in the history of the United States. It is more often viewed in terms of two distinct periods with the pre-war era of political engagement, idealism, and reform known as “progressivism” separated by World War I from the materialism, conservatism and disengagement of the “prosperous” 1920s. To many postwar observers and later historians, the entry of the United States into the European conflict in 1917 marked not just a dramatic departure in foreign relations, but also the end of an era of reform.This second edition of Historical Dictionary from the Great War to the Great Depression covers the history of this period through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 700 cross-referenced entries on important personalities, politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about a vital period in U.S. history.

In the introduction to the second edition of this historical dictionary Wynn argues in favor of unique cultural, political, and economic shifts from 1913 until 1933. This will come as no surprise to students of that period. The growing automobile culture, the Great Migration, and the growth of the American middle class's economic might altered the American and world trajectory. Wynn's well-written introduction offers readers a clear vision of the dictionary's scope. The entries that follow detail the American cultural, political, and social shifts that help readers understand the events of those two important decades. . . .Those looking for information on the American experience from 1913 until 1933 will find it useful. Summing Up: Recommended. General readers, lower-level undergraduates., Beginning with a chronology from 1913 to 1933, Wynn focuses on the economic, social, and political aspects of the period from the Great War to the Great Depression. There are nearly 700 entries, covering important people, politics, the economy, foreign relations, religion, and cultural of the times. Entries included the presidencies of Woodrow Wilson, Warren G. Harding, Calvin Coolidge, and Herbert Hoover, as well as the Harlem Renaissance, the Department of Labor, and the Sedition Act of 1918. Articles range in length from one sentence to several pages. . . .Other features include cross-references, see, and see also references as well as two appendixes (presidents and their administrations and constitutional amendments). The 50-page bibliography is well chosen, including monographs and scholarly articles, and is arranged by broad subjects, subdivided by more specific topics. This work is a well-researched volume. Overall, this is a worthwhile reference source on this pivotal period of American history.

Neil A. Wynn has taught on international programs at Central Missouri State University and at the Maastricht Center for Transatlantic Studies in the Netherlands, of which he was a director. In 2003 he was appointed Professor of 20th-Century American History at the University of Gloucestershire.