The 1,036 essays in this six-volume set cover the world's most important events and developments in the forty years that included World War I and led up to World War II, from 1901 through 1940. The period witnessed not only the Great War but also the Great Depression, the rise of the Nazi regime, the expansion of voting rights to women, and the flowering of African American literature and arts in the Harlem Renaissance. While the emphasis of the set is on political and military events, the range of subject matter is impressively diverse. Much emphasis is given to important events in the arts, sciences, business and human rights. The events are arranged chronologically. The text of each essay is divided into these sections:'Summary of Event', a chronological description of the facts of the event;'Significance', assessing the event's historical impact;'Further Reading', an annotated list of sources for further study; and'See also', cross-references to other essays within this Great Events set. Every essay includes an annotated, up-to-date bibliography and is illustrated and supplemented with sidebars that quote from key primary source documents.