19461993

The term 1946–1993 denotes the roughly half-century from 1946 to 1993, a span that covers postwar reconstruction, the Cold War, decolonization, and the transition to the modern era after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

In politics, this era saw the creation of enduring international institutions, the emergence of a bipolar world, and widespread independence movements across Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The late 1980s brought reforms under Gorbachev, easing tensions and precipitating the collapse of communist regimes in Eastern Europe.

Economically, it includes the postwar rebuilding and the long period of growth known as the Bretton Woods era, the oil shocks of the 1970s, and the shift toward globalization and market-oriented reforms in many regions as the Cold War ended.

Technological and cultural change accelerated during this period, with advances in computing, aerospace, and communications; the transistor, integrated circuits, personal computers, and the early internet shaping daily life.

Social movements and demographic shifts, including civil rights, feminist movements, and decolonization, altered societies and norms around work, family, and politics.

The legacy: 1946–1993 laid groundwork for contemporary geopolitical order, economic integration, and digital society, while marking the end of a long geopolitical era with the dissolution of the Soviet Union.