U05_DESC;In 1900 the USA was not considered one of the world's principal leading nations and its diplomacy was of limited importance in the affairs of the Great Powers. The intervention of the United States on the Allied side in 1916 changed this forever: USA became one of the key players in international finance and politics and its seemingly inexhaustible resources of labour industry and raw materials dwarfed those of the battered European states. But the country retreated into diplomatic isolation after the ending of hostilities and their economic pre-eminence was rudely cut short by the 1929 market crash and the ensuing Great Depression which hit the USA particularly hard. Gradually, by the 1932 election the United States became unstable politically and socially, with overwhelming civil unrest stemming from the massive (and seemingly pointless) loss of lives in the mud of the Western Front and the increasing gap between the wealthy 'robber barons' and the poor workers, and the massive corruption and exploitation this has resulted in. Socialist Party candidate Norman Thomas eventually won the election of 1932, but the incumbent government refused to acknowledge the election results, leading to civil war. After a Socialist victory in 1933 the country reformed under the name of United Socialist States of America (USSA), with Norman Thomas becoming its first president. The new ruling party enacted nationalization laws and transformed the country that was once the pioneer of liberty into a socialist autocracy. By 1936 new economic programs began to bear fruit, putting the economy back on track, and internal conditions seemed to finally stabilize. Now the American socialist giant is awakening and many wonder how will the new socialist government proceed on the international stage.;;;;;;;;;;X