The Perils of Prosperity

“An orthodox—and excellent interpretive history of the stirring years 1914–32” in the United States (New York Times).

“This book gives us a rare opportunity to enjoy the matured interpretation of an American Historian who has returned to the story and seen how recent decades have added meaning and vividness to this epoch of our history.” —Daniel J. Boorstin, from the Preface

Beginning with Woodrow Wilson and U.S. entry into World War I, The Perils of Prosperity traces the transformation of the United States from an agrarian, isolationist nation into a liberal, industrialized power involved entangled in foreign affairs in spite of itself. William E. Leuchtenburg shows how the events of this period reflect the conflict between rural and urban attitudes that reached its crisis in the presidential campaign of 1928 and was finally resolved in the aftermath of the economic collapse in 1929.

Leuchtenburg’s lively yet balanced account of this hotly debated era in American history has been a standard text for many years. In this substantial revision, he gives greater weight to the roles of women and minorities in the great changes of the era and reevaluates the factors leading to US involvement in World War I, as well as adding new insights on literature, the arts, and technology in daily life. He also provides updated lists of important dates and sources for further reading.