The 20th century was a time of change and conflict all around the world. It was a time of war, alliance, occupation, and fear. Throughout this century, millions died and discoveries were made that would change the world forever. Behind these huge, impactful events were the choices of individuals. These individuals were in the position to change the course of history and led to the problems as well as the solutions involved in this turbulent time. In 1914, there was much tensions in parts of Europe. Austro-Hungary had annexed a part of Bosnia and the people who lived there were outraged. Franz Ferdinand, the Archduke of Austro-Hungary, decided to visit Bosnia. Unfortunately for him, he had chosen a day where Bosnians celebrated their independence from the Ottoman Empire years before. Already not supporting their occupation, the Bosnians saw his visit on that day as an even greater symbol of their oppression and a small group planned an assassination. When the Archduke visited, he was killed. Austro-Hungary saw this as an act of war and called on their ally Germany to aid them. This alliance prompted Russia to come to aid Bosnia as Russia wanted to uphold the reputation of freer and defender of the Slavic States. …show more content…
In this period, known as the Great Depression, unemployments rates hit record highs and the American people had low morale. Franklin D. Roosevelt was the president during these years and he was able to turn things around. Through a combination of his attitude of hope and new bills, he motivated America to make the changes necessary to escape this economic crisis. He created a series of programs called the New Deal from which everyone benefitted. These programs created jobs, overhauled the bank system, improved insurance, and allowed more uses of federal loans. The success of these programs is just one of many reasons that FDR was so influential during this