19911994

19911994 is a shorthand designation for the period spanning 1991 through 1994. It was a time of rapid geopolitical change, technological development, and economic liberalization that reshaped international relations and everyday life in many regions.

Geopolitically, the era witnessed the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 and the subsequent emergence of independent states from the former USSR. The end of the Cold War altered alliances and defense planning worldwide. Conflicts in the Balkans began in the early 1990s, while the Middle East saw ongoing peace process efforts, including the Oslo Accords in 1993. In response to changing political orders, Europe advanced its integration process, with the Maastricht Treaty signed in 1992 and entering into force in 1993, laying the groundwork for the European Union.

Economically and technologically, the period saw significant liberalization and globalization. The North American Free Trade Agreement took effect in 1994. The World Wide Web was made publicly available in 1991, spurring rapid growth of online information and commerce; Mosaic browser popularized early web usage in 1993. The period also saw ongoing technological and cultural changes as personal computing and communication networks expanded.

Socially and culturally, democratisation and reform movements advanced in several countries; South Africa's end of apartheid culminated in the 1994 multiracial elections; the era also experienced the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The combination of political changes and technological advances helped shape the political economy of the late 1990s.

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