1980s

The 1980s refers to the years from 1980 to 1989. more...

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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, Uruguay and Argentina. In most of the third world, the decade was characterized by debt crisis that began in 1982, with Mexico leading the developing world in poor economic health throughout the decade, and other third world powers like India began to experiment free market economics with comparably good results we see today.

The 1980s are 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 such as 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 investors and executives bestrode the world's stock exchanges, social consciences were much in evidence: celebrities gathered to bring forth awareness of a new disease AIDS to global attention; 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; 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 ideological currency. Women entered the workplace in large numbers, the new wave of third world immigration, and African Americans enjoyed relative advances, but minority groups continued their struggle against discrimination).

In the United States, the decade was symbolized by the presidency of Ronald Reagan from 1981 to 1989 (termed "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, but the recession of the late '80s and early 1990s caused significant backlash against then-president George H.W. Bush and the Republican Party. Some historians may feel the 1980s' economic policy of "reaganomics" gave more power to corporate businesses, while it had decreased the country's working-class and worsened conditions in US inner-cities under the illegal drug epidemic and homelessness became a common sight on American streets.

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