The Marbury v<span>. </span>Madison<span> of 1803 was </span>important<span> because it was the first </span>Supreme Court case<span> to apply the principle of judicial review, the power of federal </span>courts<span> to void acts of Congress that were in conflict with the Constitution.</span>
By 1900 the United States had overtaken Britain in manufacturing, producing 24 percent of the world's output. After 1870 both Russia and Japan were forced by losing wars to abolish their feudal systems and to compete in the industrializing world.