10. The outbreak of World War I (1914-1918)

Fierce battles and the death of millions of soldiers and civilians destroyed the confidence that European civilization was superior to all others because it expressed high moral and political ideals. The United States was drawn into European political conflicts and wars for the first time. Americans, disillusioned by the war's suffering, became more critical of their country, abandoned older moral and social constraints, and, in many cases, moved to Europe to participate in a sophisticated flowering of art, music, and literature.

 

Donald G. Marshall is a Professor and the Head of the Department of English at the University of Illinois at Chicago. His top 10 events of the 1900's reflect a general historical approach. Professor Marshall emphasizes the impact of technology on the century and points out one chilling effect : "The fear that humankind's highest scientific achievements will destroy us becomes very real."

1.

The rise and fall of Communism in Russia (1917-1991)
2. The invention of electronic communications media (early to middle 1900's)
3. The collapse of colonialism and the struggle for racial equality (middle to late 1900's)
4.

The development of the automobile and the airplane (early 1900's)
5. The development of the computer (middle to late 1900's)
6. The new physics (throughout the 1900's)
7. The impact of World War II and the Holocaust (middle to late 1900's)
8. The development of biomedical science (mid-1900's)
9. The emergence of "modern" architecture, art, literature, and music (throughout the 1900's)
10. The outbreak of World War I (1914-1918)