Which decades do you believe saw the least amount of cultural change from one decade to the next?  Here are my candidates.

1900s and 1910s - This was the post-Victorian, post-guilded age culture, dominated by the rise of the automobile, music on wax cylinders, strict gender conformity and focus on tradition, and turbulent foreign policy.  Things didn't culturally change much between 1900 and 1919, when jazz started to enter the mainstream.

1930s and 1940s - While there were differences; the '40s had a much better economy than the '30s as well as the most destructive war in human history, culturally I believe these two decades had more similarities than differences.  While folk was primarily popular during the Great Depression, the slower, jazz-influenced standards were popular throughout this entire period and into the first half of the 1950s.

1990s and 2000s - I've said in other threads that I believe 1993-2008 was one era defined by the transition from the old analog culture to the information age.  While the 2000s were different from the '90s in a lot of ways, I think they were more similar than the 80s and 90s or the 00s and 10s.

Thoughts?

You forgot the 60s and 70s as well.

But I think the 1900 s and 1910s compared to the 30s/40s and 90s/00s.

The 1870s, 1880s, and 1890s were extremely similar decades to each other.  In the United States, they were the Gilded Age, defined by Victorian-influenced fashions for women (with bonnets declining), full beards and bowler/top hats for men, National League-era baseball, incredibly partisan politics, big business, rapid urbanization, the Wild West, and forgettable presidents.  In other parts of the world, Great Britain was still in its Victorian Age and Russia was still a tsarist nation.  The "gay nineties" were nostalgically singled out during the 20s, but that's more due to chronological proximity than anything else, as they were far, far closer to the 1870s and 1880s than the 1900s and 1910s.

I agree that the 1900s and 1910s pretty much feel like one giant decade, essentially the period when nickelodeons and gramophones rose in popularity, ragtime and marches were the dominant genres of music, automobiles revolutionized transportation, cable cars peaked in popularity, socialism emerged as mainstream ideology, men dropped their full beards in favor of lone mustaches, paper boy and straw hats were popular with men, women pushed for suffrage, imperialist global politics were standard, progressivism curbed the influence of robber barons and improved working conditions for the masses, the American League and World Series emerge in baseball (pre-golden age), and airplanes emerge as popular military vehicles.

The 1940s are an interesting decade because they can be directly compared to either the 30s or the 50s, depending on which half you focus on.  The World War II half, ranging from 1940 to 1945, was defined by the climax of world history conflict (the Great Depression and rise of fascism occurred simultaneously), swing and blues being the most popular genres of music, Bing Crosby, the golden age of cinema (from the standardization of talkies at the beginning of the decade through cinematic marvels of the late 30s/early 40s hybrid era), the golden age of animated shorts, FDR, Hitler, and Stalin; radio is the most popular form of family entertainment, and the popularization of comic books.  The second half of the 40s, despite retaining some similarities to the early 40s and prior, is pretty much directly related to the 50s, especially the first half of the 50s, in particular.  August 1945 (the end of World War II) to July 1955 (the emergence of rock & roll and Johnny Cash, amidst other core 50s trends becoming more prominent) is really a decade of its own, essentially defined by the Truman administration, the beginning of the Cold War, Joseph Stalin as the biggest political threat of the day, McCarthyism, the peak of crooners like Perry Como and Frank Sinatra, the rise of vinyl, the emergence of higher-fidelity audio in music, the ascent of television, migration to the suburbs, automobiles first developing their modern shape (but still bulkier than the 50s and beyond), the Korean War, mass migration to the suburbs, pre-Marilyn Monroe women's 50s fashion, John Ford westerns, and the emergence of post-war nationalism.  1953 and 1954 were transitional years, since they marked the beginning of the Eisenhower administration, death of Stalin, death of Hank Williams Sr., end of the Korean War, opening of the first McDonald's, de-bulkification of cars, ascent of doo-wop, Vietnamese independence from France, and rise of certain 50s women's fashions like poodle skirts, but 1955/1956 was really when the "Truman Decade" met its absolute end.


You forgot the 60s and 70s as well.

Eh, the differences between the 60s and 70s are underestimated.  Social attitudes were very different between the two decades, with the 60s being highly progressive but the 70s being more cynical and reserved.  Disco was not popular in the 60s except in parts of Germany at decade's end.  The Beatles were not together for almost all of the 70s.  R&b music started to abandon its vintage, late 50s-style drums in favor of a much funkier sound in the early 70s.  Pop music became less light and simplistic and more layered around the beginning of the 70s.  Video games were not a commercial industry until 1971.  Bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd released material in the late 60s but were most prominent in the 70s.  Glam rock acts like David Bowie, Kiss, and T. Rex were specifically popular during the 70s, despite having scattered influences in the 60s.  Fashion was extremely different between the two decades; the sixties were mostly dominated by understated looks for guys and flip-dos, beehives, high-heels, and solid-colored dresses for women; conversely, the 70s were all about long, bushy hair and lots of facial hair for guys, while women had predominantly long hair that was wavy instead of curl-ironed, not to mention more androgynous attire.  Psychedelic rock was not really significant throughout most of the 70s, or at least not the electric organ Doors brand of it.  Punk, arena rock, and progressive rock were not significant movements in the 60s (though they can trace some of their roots to 1969).  Color television didn't become fully mainstream until the 70s.  While the late 60s and early 70s were moderately similar to each other (since they were both defined by the height of Vietnam backlash, Richard Nixon, and the golden age of rock and roll), the 60s and 70s were actually very different periods on a general level.  Frankly, the years 1960-1966 are not that different from the 50s, in my opinion, since they marked the period before hippie culture became fully prominent and both rock and roll and r&b were still instrumentally similar to what they were in the late 50s; it really wasn't until 1967 that music became comfortably distanced from its vintage influences.  It honestly freaks me out that 1981 happened only 15 years after 1966.

Eh, the differences between the 60s and 70s are underestimated.  Social attitudes were very different between the two decades, with the 60s being highly progressive but the 70s being more cynical and reserved.  Disco was not popular in the 60s except in parts of Germany at decade's end.  The Beatles were not together for almost all of the 70s.  R&b music started to abandon its vintage, late 50s-style drums in favor of a much funkier sound in the early 70s.  Pop music became less light and simplistic and more layered around the beginning of the 70s.  Video games were not a commercial industry until 1971.  Bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd released material in the late 60s but were most prominent in the 70s.  Glam rock acts like David Bowie, Kiss, and T. Rex were specifically popular during the 70s, despite having scattered influences in the 60s.  Fashion was extremely different between the two decades; the sixties were mostly dominated by understated looks for guys and flip-dos, beehives, high-heels, and solid-colored dresses for women; conversely, the 70s were all about long, bushy hair and lots of facial hair for guys, while women had predominantly long hair that was wavy instead of curl-ironed, not to mention more androgynous attire.  Psychedelic rock was not really significant throughout most of the 70s, or at least not the electric organ Doors brand of it.  Punk, arena rock, and progressive rock were not significant movements in the 60s (though they can trace some of their roots to 1969).  Color television didn't become fully mainstream until the 70s.  While the late 60s and early 70s were moderately similar to each other (since they were both defined by the height of Vietnam backlash, Richard Nixon, and the golden age of rock and roll), the 60s and 70s were actually very different periods on a general level.  Frankly, the years 1960-1966 are not that different from the 50s, in my opinion, since they marked the period before hippie culture became fully prominent and both rock and roll and r&b were still instrumentally similar to what they were in the late 50s; it really wasn't until 1967 that music became comfortably distanced from its vintage influences.  It honestly freaks me out that 1981 happened only 15 years after 1966.

IKR Mind boggling! :D  It freaks me out that 2001 was only 15 years after 1986! :o

It freaks me out that 2015 is 15 years from 2000.

The 820s and the 830s.  Or maybe the 750s and 770s (20-year nostalgia cycle was at work even in the 8th century).  :)

OK, during my lifetime (starting in the 60s), I would say the 80s and 90s were the most similar.

I've said this before, but the period from about 1975 (give or take) to 2002 (plus or minus a few years) is, in my mind, a single era characterized by relatively gradual changes compared to the eras before and after.

1880s and 1890s.  :o

I would say that the 1880s and 1890s were the most culturally similar decades. There wasn't really that much to talk about, and they seem really similar. Hell, even Boardwalk Empire believed that they were culturally similar with Nucky's nostalgia over the two decades. The only thing different from them was the cameras.

The late 1890s were reasonably distinct from the preceding few decades, due to the ascent of ragtime, initial expansion of film, growth of the press, rise of American imperialism, and minor expansion of gramophone records, but it was really around 1901-1903 that the world truly entered the 20th century.

Which decades do you believe saw the least amount of cultural change from one decade to the next?  Here are my candidates.

1900s and 1910s - This was the post-Victorian, post-guilded age culture, dominated by the rise of the automobile, music on wax cylinders, strict gender conformity and focus on tradition, and turbulent foreign policy.  Things didn't culturally change much between 1900 and 1919, when jazz started to enter the mainstream.

I strongly disagree with this, this in fact was a time of truly enormous cultural and social change, this was The Progressive Era after all. Gender roles were being challenged during this period, I mean it lead up to the 19th amendment. Women's fashions changed enormously during the 1910s, this was when the whole concept of "the flapper" was created, the roaring '20s "look"(especially for women) was already there in 1918, 1919. If you wanna compare another changeful period that's like "The Sixties" already being there in 1959, 1960.

Towards to late 1910s when "The Great War" was over the US was in a turbulent pre-revolutionary phase with labor riots, fears of a Russian style communist revolution, and racial violence. The 1920s was when things calmed down and "normalcy" returned, the whole period from 1890-1920 was just as culturally transformative as 1960-1980 was.

I strongly disagree with this, this in fact was a time of truly enormous cultural and social change, this was The Progressive Era after all. Gender roles were being challenged during this period, I mean it lead up to the 19th amendment. Women's fashions changed enormously during the 1910s, this was when the whole concept of "the flapper" was created, the roaring '20s "look"(especially for women) was already there in 1918, 1919. If you wanna compare another changeful period that's like "The Sixties" already being there in 1959, 1960.

Towards to late 1910s when "The Great War" was over the US was in a turbulent pre-revolutionary phase with labor riots, fears of a Russian style communist revolution, and racial violence. The 1920s was when things calmed down and "normalcy" returned, the whole period from 1890-1920 was just as culturally transformative as 1960-1980 was.


Was the 1890's to about 1920 an era in limbo?

I strongly disagree with this, this in fact was a time of truly enormous cultural and social change, this was The Progressive Era after all. Gender roles were being challenged during this period, I mean it lead up to the 19th amendment. Women's fashions changed enormously during the 1910s, this was when the whole concept of "the flapper" was created, the roaring '20s "look"(especially for women) was already there in 1918, 1919. If you wanna compare another changeful period that's like "The Sixties" already being there in 1959, 1960.

Towards to late 1910s when "The Great War" was over the US was in a turbulent pre-revolutionary phase with labor riots, fears of a Russian style communist revolution, and racial violence. The 1920s was when things calmed down and "normalcy" returned, the whole period from 1890-1920 was just as culturally transformative as 1960-1980 was.


The thing is that both the 1900s and 1910s were defined by the ascents and peaks of nearly the exact same things.  Yes, society transformed a lot during the two periods, finally undoing the excesses of the late 19th century and emerging from the aftermath of Queen Victoria's death, but the actual direction of things remained pretty constant until after World War I, which preluded society to the 1920s.  In both the 1900s and 1910s, music was dominated by ragtime - even early "jass" bands from the late 1910s sounded more ragtime than actual jazz.  Straw boatman hats and lone mustaches were in for guys, while women's fashion remained predominantly extravagant, with certain nuanced changes, until near decade's end (certainly nowhere near as different as the 60s vs. 70s vs. 80s vs. 90s.  Silent films first became a major industry throughout both the 1900s and 1910s, dominated mostly by shorts that played in nickelodeons, with full-length pictures not beginning their climb until the late 1910s.  Airplanes and automobiles both first established themselves during the 1900s and 1910s.  Barbershop quartets and ice cream parlors were major trends of the day.  Even though the 1900s and 1910s were both defined by radical, progressive changes that essentially took the world away from the 19th century, they were still a part of that same Progressive Era, with the actual zeitgeist being pretty much the same for both decades from about 1901 to 1918.

1920s culture began to truly establish itself in 1919.  This was when flapper fashion, or at least less embellished women's fashion, was becoming more noticeable, the Bolsheviks started to develop a more coherent agenda after the takeover of the tsar, the first Felix the Cat animated short came out, George Gershwin and Al Jolson emerged as prominent musicians thanks to Swanee, Congress passed the 18th Amendment (thus setting the stage for the Prohibition Era), the women's suffrage movement reached its climax with the passage of the 19th Amendment, and backlash against progressivism began to really roll in due to the Treaty of Versailles fiasco.  By the beginning of 1921, when the previous said things were fully established, Warren G. Harding became President of the United States, and The Kid was first released, 20s culture was here to stay.

Eh, the differences between the 60s and 70s are underestimated.  Social attitudes were very different between the two decades, with the 60s being highly progressive but the 70s being more cynical and reserved.  Disco was not popular in the 60s except in parts of Germany at decade's end.  The Beatles were not together for almost all of the 70s.  R&b music started to abandon its vintage, late 50s-style drums in favor of a much funkier sound in the early 70s.  Pop music became less light and simplistic and more layered around the beginning of the 70s.  Video games were not a commercial industry until 1971.  Bands like Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd released material in the late 60s but were most prominent in the 70s.  Glam rock acts like David Bowie, Kiss, and T. Rex were specifically popular during the 70s, despite having scattered influences in the 60s.  Fashion was extremely different between the two decades; the sixties were mostly dominated by understated looks for guys and flip-dos, beehives, high-heels, and solid-colored dresses for women; conversely, the 70s were all about long, bushy hair and lots of facial hair for guys, while women had predominantly long hair that was wavy instead of curl-ironed, not to mention more androgynous attire.  Psychedelic rock was not really significant throughout most of the 70s, or at least not the electric organ Doors brand of it.  Punk, arena rock, and progressive rock were not significant movements in the 60s (though they can trace some of their roots to 1969).  Color television didn't become fully mainstream until the 70s.  While the late 60s and early 70s were moderately similar to each other (since they were both defined by the height of Vietnam backlash, Richard Nixon, and the golden age of rock and roll), the 60s and 70s were actually very different periods on a general level.  Frankly, the years 1960-1966 are not that different from the 50s, in my opinion, since they marked the period before hippie culture became fully prominent and both rock and roll and r&b were still instrumentally similar to what they were in the late 50s; it really wasn't until 1967 that music became comfortably distanced from its vintage influences.  It honestly freaks me out that 1981 happened only 15 years after 1966.


Very good summation, I think people lump together the '60s and '70s because of the earthy aesthetic that was prominent during the late '60s through the '70s. People forget that the counter-culture that began to emerge around 1965 was a small niche in a society that was still in the post-war "high" phase. It took around 5-10 years for the effects of the counter-culture to spread through most of society, This means the years in the '60s before 1966/7 was very, very different from the period post 1974.

I always felt that the counterculture really came to mainstream folks circa 1967. 1968, at the latest.

1840s and 1850s

If I had to pick what 20th century decades do I find culturally similar, that would belong to the '50s, '60s and early '70s. I mean, TV was really big back then, along with anything American. Especially when the United States gets paranoid towards the Soviet Union in the Cold War back then.

If I had to pick what 20th century decades do I find culturally similar, that would belong to the '50s, '60s and early '70s. I mean, TV was really big back then, along with anything American. Especially when the United States gets paranoid towards the Soviet Union in the Cold War back then.


It's interesting you say that because while the whole vibe and style of those three decades was extremely distinct respectively, they're actually surprisingly similar on a technological level.  Yes, satellite television was pretty much the dominant media technology of the era, before computers, before cell phones, and before home video games truly took off.  The 70s did have color television, not to mention first and second generation video games (mostly Pong, but stuff like Space Invaders, Atari 2600, and Odyssey2 grew popular towards the end of the decade), but those advances are still nothing compared to the ones society made in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

I don't fully agree with the political similarities.  Yes, the Cold War was the dominant global conflict during all three periods, but it took on radically different forms depending on which decade you're focusing on.  The Truman Decade was mostly dominated by Stalin as the number one enemy of the Capitalist Bloc, McCarthyism, and eventually the Korean War; the 50s and early 60s were all about the space and arms races and Nikita Khrushchev as the head of the Kremlin, the mid and late 60s and early 70s were dominated by Vietnam and increasing backlash against traditional containment policies, and the core 70s were the mildest era for Cold War tensions, with things like the oil crisis, Watergate, and horrendous economy overshadowing Brezhnev's dull administration.  The early and mid-80s were a time of renewed tensions with the USSR, with most conflicts occurring in Central America and Afghanistan, while the late 80s were defined by the peaceful conclusion of the Cold War.

It's interesting you say that because while the whole vibe and style of those three decades was extremely distinct respectively, they're actually surprisingly similar on a technological level.  Yes, satellite television was pretty much the dominant media technology of the era, before computers, before cell phones, and before home video games truly took off.  The 70s did have color television, not to mention first and second generation video games (mostly Pong, but stuff like Space Invaders, Atari 2600, and Odyssey2 grew popular towards the end of the decade), but those advances are still nothing compared to the ones society made in the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.


Yeah, technologically, they are extremely similar. All of them had drive in theaters, old-fashioned TVs and record players to name a few. Hell, they even had CBS, NBC and ABC dominating the TV industry in all of these decades.

The 2010's are basically just a more technologically advanced and politically correct version of the 00's.