At the beginning of the 21st century, the United States of America is the only remaining superpower in an increasingly complex world. The book discusses the stages of its rise to world power and unfolds the fascinatingly multifaceted history of the USA along thematic lines. It begins with the experiment in democracy, which is rooted in revolutionary principles and remains unfinished to this day. The development of the USA into a superpower and the world's hegemon is equally non-linear, a rise that, under the banner of the "Empire of Liberty," also has missionary aspects. It explores how the North American contact zone of diverse cultures and ethnicities gave rise to distinctly American values and a modern, consumption-oriented, technology-saturated lifestyle known as the "American Way of Life," which does not disrupt the existing ethnic and cultural framework.