1930s1960s

The 1930s–1960s encompass the decades from the early 1930s to the late 1960s, a period of deep economic hardship, global conflict, and rapid geopolitical and social change. The era includes the Great Depression, World War II, and the reshaping of international power structures after 1945, followed by rebuilding, decolonization, and Cold War politics.

Economically and politically, the 1930s were dominated by the Great Depression and varied responses such as public works programs and social reform. The 1940s featured a total war economy, followed by postwar planning that produced institutions like the United Nations and the Bretton Woods financial system, while the United States and the Soviet Union emerged as rival superpowers. The 1950s and 1960s saw the Cold War intensify, decolonization across Africa and Asia, and regional conflicts such as the Korean War and the Cuban Revolution, along with the construction of symbolic divides such as the Berlin Wall.

Science and technology advanced rapidly, including improvements in aviation and mass media, widespread electrification, and the rise of television. Breakthroughs in medicine, such as antibiotics, along with the development of early computers and nuclear energy, transformed industry and science. The space program began to take shape in the late 1950s and 1960s, laying groundwork for human spaceflight.

Culture and society changed alongside these shifts. Civil rights movements, social reforms, and shifts in family life reflected broader tensions, while global cinema, music, and literature expanded through growing mass media and modernization. The period set many patterns of international politics, technology, and culture that influenced subsequent decades.