mid1980s

The mid-1980s refers to the period roughly from 1984 to 1986, a transitional phase within the broader decade of the 1980s. It saw notable changes in politics, technology, and culture that would influence the remainder of the decade.

In international affairs, Cold War dynamics persisted while leadership changes shaped policy. In 1985 Mikhail Gorbachev became the general secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and introduced glasnost and perestroika, reforms that would influence diplomacy in the following years. In Western democracies, governments pursued deregulation and market-oriented reforms.

Technological and economic developments included the growing availability of personal computers at home and in business, the spread of video game consoles, and expanding cable television and home video markets. The Plaza Accord of 1985 coordinated currency policy among several major economies to address trade imbalances.

Culturally, the mid-1980s was shaped by MTV-driven music culture, with popular films such as Ghostbusters (1984) and Back to the Future (1985), and the global reach of live charitable events like Live Aid (1985). Notable disasters included the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (1986) and the Chernobyl nuclear accident (1986).

Overall, the mid-1980s functioned as a bridge between early- and late-1980s trends, helping propel globalization, the deregulation wave, and greater adoption of digital technology that characterized the remainder of the decade.