1960s1990s

The phrase 1960s1990s refers to the period spanning roughly the 1960s through the 1990s, a time of substantial and varied global change. It covers four decades marked by rapid economic growth in parts of the developed world, expanding communications networks, rising urbanization, and shifting political orders. While patterns differed by region, the era overall saw the maturation of postwar prosperity, the expansion of civil society, and the beginnings of a global information economy.

In geopolitics, the period includes decolonization and the emergence of new states in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean, alongside ongoing Cold War tensions in the early decades and a rapid shift toward détente and eventual dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. The fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and the subsequent reorganization of Europe signaled a major realignment. Global conflicts, regional blocs, and new security arrangements shaped international relations, while economic reforms in many countries promoted liberalization and integration into a global market.

Socially, the era witnessed persistent movements for civil rights, gender equality, and social liberation, including the civil rights campaigns, second-wave feminism, and growing advocacy for LGBTQ rights. Environmental awareness expanded through the 1970s and 1980s, and higher education and mass media played larger roles in public discourse. Technological progress accelerated with space exploration achievements, the rise of personal computing, the birth of the internet, and the global spread of communications technologies, culminating in early digital globalization by the end of the century.