Chapter 8 The Decade of Power: The Responsibilities of World Leadership

Too often the 1920s are associated with frivolous subjects like bathtub gin, the raccoon coat, and rumble seats. In fields of technology, however, remarkable developments were taking place that were often overlooked by the public. One promising example was the ready availability of steam power, a major factor in spark-plugging an unprecedented national prosperity. America was now using almost as much electricity as the rest of the world’s nations combined. Of the 27 million autos in the world, 22 million were to be found in the United States, not to mention 61 percent of all the telephones and a plurality of the major products and machines using electricity and other forms of energy.