If the 19th Century belonged to Britain, the 20th Century was the age of American power and world dominance. The American Century charts the rise to global power of the USA and its journey from a regional hegemon to superpower status. It examines the development of an imperial power through the course of two world wars, the long nuclear standoff with the Soviet Union and the economic shocks and crises of the 20th Century. The American Century also examines life for the American people and the experience of living in a racially segregated and often volatile society, where notions of liberty and the American dream were interpreted, negotiated and sometimes rejected by many throughout a tumultuous century.