For 250 years, wars and conflicts have shaped the United States of America. But the rise to the most powerful military nation has come at a cost.
From the Revolution against the British Crown emerges a nation promising freedom and equality. But the bloody Civil War nearly tears the United States apart. Reunited, it conquers the continent by force and rises to global power. World War II shapes the national self-image as defender of peace and freedom, while using the deadliest weapon on earth. In Vietnam the self-appointed “world police” wages dirty wars, betraying its own ideals. From 9/11 and the hunt for terrorists, from Guantánamo to drone warfare, the USA are trapped in a cycle of violence and power politics. Under Donald Trump, the United States turn inward to the western hemisphere — while the nation fractures from within.
