1980s

The 1980s decade refers to the years from 1980 to 1989, inclusive. more...

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In America, the decade was most poignantly symbolized by the presidency of Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989 (or affectionally termed the "Reagan Years") as it epitomized the rise of conservatism as the dominant creed in American political and cultural life. This extended somewhat into the early 1990s with the first George Bush, but the recession of the late '80s and early 1990s caused significant backlash against Bush and the Republican Party.

Like the 1960s, the decade was an era of frantic change, characterised by political and economic decentralisation, especially in countries with mixed and command economies. Political events and trends of the 1980s culminated in the toppling of military governments and authoritarian regimes, and the downfall of the military juntas of Brazil, Chile and Argentina.

The 1980s is also generally considered to be the transition between the industrial and information ages. The petroleum supply disruptions which had marked the 1970s were not repeated, and new oil-field discoveries boosted supply and helped keep energy prices relatively low in most places during the decade. The 1980s saw rapid developments in numerous sectors of technology which have defined the modern consumer world. Electronics like personal computers, gaming systems, the first commercially available hand-held mobile phones, and new audio and data storage technologies such as the compact disc, are all still prominent well into the 2000s. On the strength of their high-technology industries, the Japanese economy soared to record highs in the 1980s, prompting many American companies to frantically study and adopt Japanese management practices.

The decade was one of contrasts. Whilst yuppies bestrode the world's stock exchanges, social consciences were much in evidence: celebrities gathered to record major charity records and perform major charity concerts such as Live Aid; Environmental concerns became ever more pressing in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster and UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joined the Greens; the deployment of cruise missiles in Western Europe led to a resurgence of CND protests and marches and the start of the long vigil of the Greenham Common women in England; and political correctness became common verbal and idealogical currency.

Though much of the 1980s was characterized by Reaganomics in the USA , following the election of Ronald Reagan as President in 1980, Thatcherism in the UK, and social conservatism throughout the world, the late 1980s played host to several dramatic events, including the fall of the Berlin Wall and the end of the Cold War. The era was characterized by the blend of conservative family values alongside a period of increased telecommunications and a shift towards liberal market economies and the new openness of perestroika and glastnost. The transitional passage also saw massive democratic revolutions like the Tiananmen Square protests of 1989 in China, the Czechoslovak velvet revolution, and the overthrow of the dictatorial regime in Romania and other communist Warsaw Pact states in Central and Eastern Europe. These changes continued to be felt in the 1990s and on into the 21st Century.

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