Globally speaking...What have been the defining moments since 1950?

Question

50's, 60's, 70's, 80's, 90's, 00's

Answer 1

As one born that year, and off the top of my head, I'd say:
1950's: Eisenhower-a General leading the nation into peace
1960's: Kennedy-first Catholic President, leading a nation into space (a walk on the moon, and later, the joint Soyuz-Apollo docking as an emblem of hope for peace between two adversarial superpowers), youthful President for the times, and the string of assassinations in the '60's that demoralized, frightened and enraged us all-Jack and Bobby Kennedy, Malcolm X, Dr. Martin Luther King, etc. Also, LBJ's Great Society, civil rights, Vietnam, hippies and the Beatles. (A great book is "Souled America" by Kevin Phinney, about music and race.)
1970's: Nixon (This is amazing--I am not at all a history/politics buff, and yet I do find these eras defined for me by Presidents). I believe that the Watergate scandal was the turning point more than even difficulties of the Viet Nam war for the cynicism and mistrust of our government that persists today. The first gas crisis awakens at least some people to an ecological awareness, and Jimmy Carter puts on his Mr. Rogers sweater and asks us to lower the thermostat.
1980's: Ego-centric baby boomers come of age and the age of corporate greed and malfeasance with it.
1990's: Technology:Computers start changing our lives in every facet. The widespread introduction of personal computers and mobile phones (who else remembers the lunch-box-size phones?). Medical advances

Sorry, I just realized your question was global, not national. Too late for me to read OR write carefully enough.



(c)2006

Answer 2

a defining moment would be one that gives definition ie clarity to our understanding of history - cant think of any, because we have no clarity of understanding of history - we havent learned the first fact of history in 1000s of years - that the state or nation or empire or globe built on injustice cannot stand - we are still forging ahead with maximal injustice, maximal violence, maximal escalation of war

we have fortnightly pay from $1 to $1 billion - ie, from a million times to 1000th of the average - as far from the ideals of france and america as you can get - why have we betrayed those ideals so super extremely? - what are we looking for? - why dont we care about happiness, peace, safety?

instead of liberty, equality, democracy and fraternity we have concentration of wealth and power in the hands of the few, fascist capitalism, maximal inequality, and maximal unfriendliness - all on the brink of nuclear extinction

we could have justice, peace, US$15 an hour for every worker in the world including housewives and students, much more rapid advancement of science and medicine, environmental sanity and preservation, by limiting fortunes to US$2 million [the most a person can add to the pool of wealth by their work] and spreading overfortunes round among everyone

but we dont - we have pay from $1 to $1 billion a fortnight, pay from a million times to a 1000th of the average, we have 1% of people getting 90% of world income [obviously without doing 90% of the work] and 90% of people getting less than 10% of the average pay, we have the consequent rage and fury and desperation and escalation of violence and weaponry to self-extinction -

if a person ran an orphanage by giving huge amounts to a few and so little to some that 1% of the children died every year, that person would be removed as insane - that is what we are doing in the world - giving huge amounts to a few [with which power they beat us all up] and giving so little to some that 1% of humanity die each year - when there is enough for every family working av. hard to have US$75,000 a year, and we would all have peace

there have been no defining moments, there has been no clarity of vision, there has been no vision or reality or sense at all, just the convulsions of the chaos

Answer 3

I dont' know about every decade but the berlin wall comming down seems to be something defining, definately 9 -11

Answer 4

Only ~5 millions killed in Vietnam War

in the name of Freedom Democracy.


As it is the case in Iraq nowadays

Answer 5

For Bella, she knew she become in love with Edward after he kept her in Port Angeles. For Edward, it wasn't till after their vacation to the meadow. The financial disaster 'concepts Over count' because he even admitted that he nonetheless wasn't truly positive if he loved her more advantageous than he had to kill her till that categorical second even as he admitted it.

Answer 6

bad or sab whatever it was fall of communism in my opinion coz it made world unipolar and folks like bush and tony started banging everyehere.b4 it atleast in the quarrel of giants like america and russia smaller nations were safe and not defenseless.each one would veto any movement for war supported by its opponent in un.

Answer 7

JFK getting his head blown off was the first thing that came to my mind when I first read your question.

Answer 8

WAR.WAR.WAR.WAR.WAR.WAR.AND MORE WAR.WHEN WILL IT STOP.TIS A SAD THING THAT THIS THE DEFINING MOMENT OF EVERY DECADE

Answer 9

simply put, the cold war, and everything that came afterwords

Answer 10

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20th_century