1890s1978

The period from the 1890s to 1978 spans nearly a century of profound transformation across the globe. The late nineteenth century saw the peak of the Industrial Revolution, with rapid urbanization, the growth of rail networks, and the rise of mass production. In Europe and North America, technological innovations such as the telephone, electricity, and motor vehicles began to reshape daily life and economic structures.

The early twentieth century introduced sweeping political changes. The decline of absolute monarchies gave way to democratic states and, in many regions, socialist movements. The outbreak of World War I in 1914 and its devastating consequences led to redrawn borders and the emergence of new nation‑states. The interwar years were marked by the Great Depression, which drove widespread economic hardship and influenced political ideologies, while the rise of totalitarian regimes in Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union set the stage for global conflict.

World War II (1939‑1945) further accelerated technological progress with advancements in aviation, nuclear physics, and computing. The post‑war era witnessed the establishment of the United Nations, the onset of the Cold War, and the beginning of decolonization movements that reshaped the political map of Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.

By 1978, the world had experienced the advent of television broadcasting, the first successful human spaceflight, and significant strides in civil rights movements. Economic globalization was taking root, and new social and cultural currents, such as the counter‑culture of the 1960s, had challenged traditional norms. This era set the foundation for the rapid technological and societal changes that would characterize the late twentieth and early twenty‑first centuries.