AllMovie

This program chronicles the history of American involvement in warfare during the 20th century. Starting with the Spanish American War and ending with the Gulf War, the United States participated in a century of turmoil, marked by two world wars. Wars took a huge toll in lives and suffering in a steady course of conflict, punctuated by a few years of peace. The Time Life series evaluates the causes and costs of warfare in the last century. This episode provides an overview of America's war activities in the 20th century, which opened as the Spanish American War was winding up. It marked the beginning of the end for the American policy of isolationism. Although many led the fight to ignore the world outside its borders, the die was already cast for American involvement in foreign affairs, from the World Wars to the Cold War, in a century of violent encounters. Archival film clips and photographs, as well as scholarly commentary accompany this survey.