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I'll divide the twentieth century into "periods" rather than decades:
1. 1900 to 1916. The Progressive Era where Americans attempt to deal with abuses caused by the lack of regulation and laisse economics prevalent in the prior period known as the "Guilded Age"
2. 1917-1920. The World War I Era. America first joins other nations to defeat Germany and ultimately rejects Internationalism by refusing to join the league of nations.
3. 1921 to 1929. The Roaring Twenties. America ratifies Prohibition and goes hog wild over unregulated capitalism until the Stock Market Crash of 1929.
4. 1930-1940. The Great Depression/New Deal. America faces the greatest recession anyone can remember along with almost 25% unemployment.
5. 1941-1945. World War II Era. America is victorious and emerges as the greatest power in the world bar none.
6. 1946-1960. Heighth of the Cold War Era. Americans fear atomic war, communism, and subversion, yet paradoxically experience a great period economic growth.
7. 1961-1969. America experiences one of its most tumultuous periods ever "The Sixties" characterized by the Civil Rights Movement, The Vietnam War, drug Use, and sexual freedom. Yet, great economic growth also characterizes this period.
8. 1970-1981. The Era of Limitations. America goes through a period where it learns the limitations of its powers. We lose in Vietnam. OPEC comes into existence and we realize our huge dependency on foreign oil. Economic growth is very slow and people begin challenging the role of government.
9. 1982 to 1988. The Reagan Era. America elects a President who basically makes "everyone feel good" and this seems to work for most. At the same time, while we are unaware of it, our rival the Soviet Union is near collapse. The world is about to radically change.
10. 1989 to 2000. Post Cold War: The Information Age. The Berlin Wall comes down. The Soviet Union collapses. After years of sluggish growth, the economy grows by leaps and bounds. Much of this growth is lead by the computer industry. Despite a serious scandal, President Clinton survives an impeachment attempt and has a near 80% approval rating.
The 50's end in 1963: Even before Kennedy was shot, the gilded surface of the swell decade was beginning to peel. Civil Rights turmoil exploded in Birmingham in 1963, the Vietnam War was escalating, the counter culture was beginning to become more noticeable, and the assassination of JFK officially ushered in an era of instability.
The 60's endin 1972: Nixon is elected in a landslide, which signals the death of the new deal coalition. This is also the last election in which 60's era issues like Vietnam, Busing, and Civil Rights are important. After this, people become concerned with inflation, oil prices, Watergate and the middle east. 60s' flower power fashions are also being replaced by tacky 70s polyester around this time as well.
The 70s end in 1983: I know this seems off, but what we see now as "The 80s" really didn't begin until around '83. Reagan is very unpopular until this point, as he faces the same issues that Carter faced like recession and inflation. The US has one of its deepest recessions in 1982 (which was basically manufactured by Paul Volcker, the fed Chairman) but afterwards we see the beginning of the economic boom that defined the 80s. Alternately, AIDS has become a full blown epidemic by 1983, which ushers out the era of sexual liberation present in the 1970s. People are no longer comfortable with sexual experimentation because the disease, which is still misunderstood, creates a pandemic of fear.
The 80s end in 1992: The Reagan/Bush is over. Clinton becomes the first Democrat to win the presidency since 1976, ushering in a realignment of sorts that tends to put Democrats in the white house and republicans in congress. The fashion of the 80s is replaced by more subdued, 90s fashion. Also, after a decade of sexual and social repression, cultural liberalism becomes more accepted. Gays and Lesbians become more exposed on TV and in the media, and culture war issues like abortion, gay marriage and alternative families become hot topics (as evidenced by the Murphy Brown/ Dan Quayle feud)
The 1990s end in 2001: This is George Bush's first year in office. Even before 9/11 hits, the 90s boom ends with the dot com bust. I remember that recession being very shocking. People thought our economy would just keep growing forever. Then of course, the national mood becomes even worse on 9/11. Nothing has changed a national mood more quickly that what happened that day. Suddenly, our entire idea of national greatness and dominance is questioned. Terrorism becomes issue number one. The music also begins to change because of this. 90s pop music becomes almost immediately replaced by brooding rock music like Nickelback (eww) and dark rap like Eminem's lose yourself. The mood quickly becomes angry, worried and uneasy, as it was for the rest of the decade.
The 2000's end in 2012: This is just my prediction. I expect the economy to continue to recover this year and be much more mended by 2013. The Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are winding down. Musically, things are changing too. The pop music of the past few years is quickly being replaced by a more alternative sound like that of F.U.N. and Gotye. I also notice that the flattened hair of the 2000s is finally going away while longer and more wavy styles are becoming en vogue. A much more casual fashion is on its way, not unlike what we saw in the 1990s. Maybe we'll finally see an official end to low rise jeans, chunky jewlery, massive sunglasses and loud patterns. They've already been falling out of favor for a while now and maybe this year will be the final nail in the coffin.
I wish I'd been around in the 20's. That was definitely the most fun decade! Love the Louise Brooks pic btw.
Same here as that decade was so friggin awesome and unique as the planet hadn't seen one like it not since the days of the ancient greeks and early romans.
Yeap LB along with Clara Bow and Lillian Gish are my fave 20's flapper girl actresses and how cool that many of those silent film classics e.g. ''Pandoras Box'' are now uploaded unto youtube to watch .
1900's: Last from 1900 to 1912. Age of modernization. Tremendous industrial expansion, Ford's Model-T invented, assembly lines, electricity becomes universal, refrigeration, lots of advances in every-day technology.
1910's: Lasted from 1912 to 1918. Decade of world turmoil. The Titanic goes down. Europe becomes embroiled in The Great War. After failed diplomatic attempts, the U.S. is eventually drawn into combat. The Doughboys emerge victorious, giving our nation a new sense of national pride.
1920's: Lasted from 1918-1929. The Roaring 20's. After being victorious in WW1, America became a world superpower. We were the world's bank, and became a very wealthy nation. Very liberal decade with new ideas. Must have been an interesting time to live. This decade ended with Black Tuesday.
1930's: Lasted from 1929-1940. The Great Depression. The Dust Bowl. Massive poverty, hardship, soup kitchens, etc. Just when things couldn't get worse, WW2 breaks out in Europe. The U.S. is reluctant to get involved, but is just delaying the inevitable.
1940's: Lasted from 1941 to 1948. The U.S. enters WW2 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor and unrestricted naval warfare with Nazi Germany. Initial war efforts are dismal, but over time the U.S. gets stronger and its Allies emerge victorious. The atomic bomb, SONAR, RADAR, and other technological achievements. Post-war, a new enemy emerges, being the U.S.S.R., ushering in the Cold War era. The post WW2 years are dominated by such events as the Neuremberg Trials, the Iron Curtain, and the Berlin Airlift.
1950's: Lasted from 1948 to 1962. The Baby Boom begins, a new era of prosperity is ushered in, and a black cloud hangs over our heads with the prospect of Nuclear war with the U.S.S.R. The economy produces the largest middle class ever known. A large emphasis is put on family values. Men have short crew-cut haircuts and wear suits with glasses that have huge black frames. Women wear dresses and don't show much skin. Spouses sometimes sleep in separate twin beds across the room from one another. Rock N Roll is invented. Civil Rights becomes in increasing issue in the public eye.
1960's: Lasted from 1963 to 1974. The Hippy Generation. Men stop wearing suits and glasses with huge black frames. They start growing their hair out longer and wearing tie-die t-shirts. The previous conservative decade ends and a new liberal decade is ushered in. Increasing turmoil unfolds as civil rights issues come to a head, JFK is assassinated, and the Vietnam War expands. A period of great music is produced beginning with The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Doors, etc. The 60's ended when the Vietnam War ended.
1970's: Lasted from 1975 to 1983. Disco music, a bad economy, inflation, high gas prices, and general pessimism about the nation as a whole set in. Cars were huge and reached their peak sizes during the mid-70's. Music got pretty bad during this era. When disco ended in 1980, nothing really replaced it for a few years. For me personally, the 70's began when my parents put up ugly brown, orange, red, and yellow wallpaper, and ended when they took down that wallpaper.
1980's: Lasted from 1984 to 1992. A feel-good decade where things were perceived to be getting better. Inflation ended, gas prices plummeted, and the economy sped up. Ugly brown, orange, red, and yellow colors for things like wallpaper and sofas were replaced by pastel colors seen in shows like Miami Vice. Music turned towards new synthesized sounds in bands like Duran Duran, Journey, and The Police. Although earlier songs like Flock of Seagulls' "I ran" or Phil Collins "In The Air" really characterize the 80's for me. Cheesy action flicks and great comedies were produced during this era. The fall of the U.S.S.R. and the Gulf War victory brought new national pride and a feeling of invincibility.
1990's: Lasted from 1992 to 2001. A decade of peace and prosperity. The decade began with women cutting off their huge 80's hair dews. A sudden explosion of great Alternative Rock music and Rap music occurred that revived the music scene for 10 years. Nirvana, Pearl Jam, REM, Sublime, Oasis, to name a few alternative bands, and for rap, we had Snoop Doggy Dog, Dr. Dre, Notorious BIG, Tupac, Jay-Z, and others. By the end of the 90's, we were left with feelings of invincibility, safety, and never-ending prosperity. America was the sole superpower in the world, the stock market was unstoppable, and all we had to worry about was inner-city gangs.
2000's: Lasted from 2001-2012. Began on September 11, 2001 and instantly changed everything. We were no longer safe, no longer invincible, and were drawn into 2 wars overseas. We had to change the way we do things. Our economy began to slide to the worst condition since the Great Depression. The real estate market collapsed. Music declined from the great 90's alternative and rap, to a watered down version of hip-hop and pop. There are some signs of light at the end of the tunnel now that both wars are being wrapped up and there is some improvement in the stock market. Maybe some think the end of the 2000's will be December, 2012 according to the Mayan Calendar.
I do not believe we have started the 2010's yet. We are in the final year of the 2000's still. Nothing has changed drastically enough since the 2000's to be considered a new decade. Just my opinion though.
1901-1918 - turn of the century
1919-1946 - jazz age
1947-1962 - greater fifties
1963-1970 - swinging sixties
1971-1979 - the seventies
1980-1991 - the eighties
1992-2000 - the nineties
2001-2021? - the 'new millennium' (unfortunately, most people don't seem to consider the 2010s a decade and it's not really different from the 00s aside from being more 80s and less rap oriented)
2000s: 2001-08
9/11 attack, War on Terrorism, rising gas prices, housing boom and finally, stock market crash
2010s: 2008-20??
Great recession, advances in smartphones, debt crisis
Last edited by LookingtoleaveFL; 01-12-2014 at 06:16 PM..
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