Strauss–Howe generational theory
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- | [[William Strauss]] and [[Neil Howe]] in their book ''[[Generations (book)|Generations]]'' list the [[Lost Generation]]'s birth years as [[1883]] to [[1900]]. Their typical grandparents were the [[Gilded Generation]]; their parents were the [[Progressive Generation]] and [[Missionary Generation]]. Their children were the [[G.I. Generation]] and [[Silent Generation]]; their typical grandchildren were [[Baby boomer]]s. | + | '''''Generations''''' (ISBN 0-688-11912-3) (1991) is the first book by [[Strauss and Howe|William Strauss and Neil Howe]] that describes a cyclical theory of history based on repeating generational archetypes. It examines [[English American|Anglo-American]] history by dividing it into [[saeculum|saecula]], or seasonal cycles of history. A saeculum is about 90 years long - the length of a long human life - and is further divided into four "Turnings" that are about 22 years long - as long as the period between birth and adulthood. Children raised during a particular Turning share similar historical and cultural experiences, resulting in distinct generational types. The book suggests that interactions between generations explains why major crises occur roughly every 90 years (e.g. [[American Revolution | 1773]] -[[American Civil War | 1861]]) and why [[Great Awakening | spiritual awakenings]] similarly recur halfway between those crises. |
+ | |||
+ | Although ''Generations'' and related books are occasionally referenced in scholarly articles, some scholars do not find the theory compelling. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Turnings== | ||
+ | According to [[Neil Howe|Howe]] and [[William Strauss|Strauss]], just as history molds generations, so do generations mold history. Modern Anglo-American history runs on a two-stroke rhythm. The two strokes are an Awakening and a Crisis. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Awakening''. During an Awakening, rising adults are driven by inner zeal to become philosophers, religious pundits, and [[hippy|hippies]], thereby alienating children (who see the adult world becoming more chaotic each day) and older generations alike. Civil order comes under attack from a new values regime. Examples of Awakening eras include the [[Protestant Reformation]] (1517-1542), the [[Puritan Awakening]] (1621-1649), the [[First Great Awakening|Great Awakening]] (1727-1746), the [[Second Great Awakening]] (1822-1844), the [[Third Great Awakening]] (1886-1908), and the ''Consciousness Revolution'' (1964-1984). Seen as a tumultuous time, somewhat echoing a "Crisis". | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Unraveling''. An Unraveling is an era of relative peace and prosperity between an Awakening and a Crisis. The most recent Unraveling was seen between The Consciousness Revolution and the time just before September 11 (1985-2001), a time of paradigm shifting. Seen as a positive time, somewhat echoing a "High". | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Crisis.'' A Crisis is a decisive era of secular upheaval. The values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Wars are waged with apocalyptic finality. Examples of Crisis eras include the [[Wars of the Roses]] (1459-1487), the [[Anglo-Spanish War (1585)|Spanish Armada Crisis]] (1569-1594), the colonial [[Glorious Revolution]] (1675-1704), the [[American Revolution]] (1773-1794), the [[American Civil War]] (1860-1865), and the twin emergencies of the [[Great Depression]] and World War II (1929-1946). | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''High''. A High is an era between a Crisis and an Awakening. The most recent High was seen between World War II and the Consciousness Revolution. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==Types of Generations== | ||
+ | {| class="infobox" | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! style="background:#dddddd;"| [[List of generations|Generations]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | | ||
+ | *[[Lost Generation]] (1883–1900) | ||
+ | *[[Greatest Generation|G.I. Generation]] (1901–1924) | ||
+ | *[[Silent Generation]] (1925–1942) | ||
+ | *[[Baby Boom Generation|(Baby) Boom Generation]] (1943–1960) | ||
+ | *[[Generation X|13th Generation]] (Gen X) (1961–1981) | ||
+ | *[[Millennial Generation]] (Gen Y) (1982–2000) | ||
+ | *[[Generation Z|New Silent Generation]] (Gen Z) (2001-) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | The four types of generations in their theory are as follows: | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Prophet/Idealist.'' A Prophet (or Idealist) generation is born during a High, spends its rising adult years during an Awakening, spends midlife during an Unraveling, and spends old age in a Crisis. Prophetic leaders have been cerebral and principled, summoners of human sacrifice, wagers of righteous wars. Early in life, few saw combat in uniform; late in life, most come to be revered as much for their words as for their deeds. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Nomad/Reactive.'' A Nomad (or Reactive) generation is born during an Awakening, spends its rising adult years during an Unraveling, spends midlife during a Crisis, and spends old age in a new High. Nomadic leaders have been cunning, hard-to-fool realists, taciturn warriors who prefer to meet problems and adversaries one-on-one. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Hero/Civic.'' A Hero (or Civic) generation is born during an Unraveling, spends its rising adult years during a Crisis, spends midlife during a High, and spends old age in an Awakening. Heroic leaders are considered to have been vigorous and rational institution-builders, busy and competent in old age. All of them entering midlife were aggressive advocates of technological progress, economic prosperity, social harmony, and public optimism. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ''Artist/Adaptive.'' An Artist (or Adaptive) generation is born during a Crisis, spends its rising adult years in a new High, spends midlife in an Awakening, and spends old age in an Unraveling. Artistic leaders have been advocates of fairness and the politics of inclusion, irrepressible in the wake of failure. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==List of Generations== | ||
+ | Howe and Strauss characterize generations and their types as follows: | ||
+ | |||
+ | {| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:10ex" | ||
+ | ! Generation !! Type !! Birth years !! Formative era | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Late Medieval Saeculum | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Arthurian Generation || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1433–1460 (27) || Unraveling: [[Hundred Years' War|Retreat from France]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Humanist Generation || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1461–1482 (21)|| Crisis: [[Wars of the Roses|War of the Roses]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Reformation Saeculum (104) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Reformation Generation || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1483–1511 (28) || High: [[English Renaissance|Tudor Renaissance]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Reprisal Generation || Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1512–1540 (28) || Awakening: [[Protestant Reformation]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Elizabethan Generation || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1541–1565 (24) || Unraveling: Intolerance and Martyrdom | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Parliamentarian Generation || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1566–1587 (21)||Crisis: [[Spanish Armada|Armada Crisis]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | New World Saeculum (112) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Puritan Generation || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1588–1617 (29)||High: [[Merry England|Merrie England]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Cavalier Generation || Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1618–1647 (29)||Awakening: [[Puritan Awakening]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Glorious Generation || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1648–1673 (25)||Unraveling: Religious Intolerance | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Enlightenment Generation || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1674–1700 (26)||Crisis: [[King Philip's War]]/<br>[[Glorious Revolution]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Revolutionary Saeculum (90) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Awakening Generation || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1701–1723 (22) || High: [[Augustan literature|Augustan Age of Empire]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Liberty Generation || Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1724–1741 (17) || Awakening: [[First Great Awakening|Great Awakening]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Republican Generation || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1742–1766 (24) || Unraveling: [[French and Indian War]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Compromise Generation || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1767–1791 (24)||Crisis: [[American Revolution]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Civil War Saeculum (67) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Transcendental Generation || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1792–1821 (29)||High: [[Era of Good Feeling]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Gilded Generation || Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1822–1842 (20)||Awakening: [[Second Great Awakening|Transcendental Awakening]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | || Hero (Civic)<sup id="fn_0_back">[[#fn 0|0]]</sup> || || | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Progressive Generation || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1843–1859 (16)||Crisis: [[American Civil War]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Great Power Saeculum (82) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Missionary Generation || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1860–1882 (22)||High: [[Reconstruction era of the United States|Reconstruction]]/[[Gilded Age]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Lost Generation]] || Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1883–1900 (17)||Awakening: [[Third Great Awakening|Missionary Awakening]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[G.I. Generation]] || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1901–1924 (23)||Unraveling: [[World War I]]/[[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Silent Generation]] || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|1925–1942 (17)||Crisis: [[Great Depression in the United States|Great Depression]]/[[World War II]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | ! colspan=4 | Millennial Saeculum (67+) | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | (Baby) [[Baby Boom Generation|Boom Generation]] || Prophet (Idealist) || align=center|1943–1960 (17) || High: Superpower America | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | 13th Generation <BR> (a.k.a [[Generation X]])<sup id="fn_1_back">[[#fn 1|1]]</sup>|| Nomad (Reactive) || align=center|1961–1981 (20) || Awakening: [[Consciousness Revolution]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | [[Millennial Generation]]<sup id="fn_2_back">[[#fn 2|2]]</sup> || Hero (Civic) || align=center|1982–2000 (18)||Unraveling: [[Culture War]]s | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | Homeland Generation <sup id="fn_3_back">[[#fn 3|3]]</sup><sup id="fn_4_back">[[#fn 4|4]]</sup> || Artist (Adaptive) || align=center|2001–present (10+) || Crisis: [[Second Cold War]] | ||
+ | |} | ||
+ | |||
+ | <cite id="fn_0">[[#fn 0 back|Note (0):]]</cite> According to the above chart, generational types have appeared in Anglo-American history in a fixed order for more than 500 years, with one hiccup in the Civil War Saeculum. The reasons for this is because according to the chart, the Civil War came about ten years too early; the adult generations allowed the worst aspects of their generational personalities to come through; and the Progressives grew up scarred rather than ennobled. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <cite id="fn_1">[[#fn 1 back|Note (1):]]</cite> Strauss and Howe use the name "13th Generation" instead of the more widely accepted "Generation X" in their book, which was published mere weeks before [[Douglas Coupland]]'s ''[[Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture]]'' was. The generation is so numbered because it is the thirteenth generation alive since American Independence (counting back until Benjamin Franklin's). | ||
+ | |||
+ | <cite id="fn_2">[[#fn 2 back|Note (2):]]</cite> Although there is as yet no universally accepted name for this generation, "Millennials" is becoming widely accepted. Other names used in reference to it include Generation Y (as it is the generation following Generation X) and "The Net Generation." Another name "Generation Next" stems from a [[Pepsi-Cola]] corporation ad campaign featuring one symbol of Generation Y, the [[Spice Girls]]. {{Citation needed|date=October 2008}} | ||
+ | |||
+ | <cite id="fn_3">[[#fn 3 back|Note (3):]]</cite> New Silent Generation was a proposed holding name used by Howe and Strauss in their demographic history of America, Generations, to describe the generation whose birth years began somewhere in the early 2000s and the ending point will be around the early 2020s. Howe now refers to this generation (most likely currently being born) as the Homeland Generation. | ||
+ | |||
+ | <cite id="fn_4>[[#fn 4 back|Note (4):]]</cite> There is no consistent agreement among participants on the Fourth Turning message board that the War on Terror lies fully within a Crisis era. The absence of any attempt to constrict consumer spending through taxes or rationing and the tax cuts of the time suggest that any Crisis Era may have begun, if at all, later, as after [[Hurricane Katrina]] or the [[Late-2000s recession|Financial Meltdown of 2008]]. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==See also== | ||
+ | * [[List of Generations]] | ||
+ | * [[Generation 9/11]] | ||
+ | *[[Strauss-Howe generational theory]] | ||
+ | |||
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Generations (ISBN 0-688-11912-3) (1991) is the first book by William Strauss and Neil Howe that describes a cyclical theory of history based on repeating generational archetypes. It examines Anglo-American history by dividing it into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history. A saeculum is about 90 years long - the length of a long human life - and is further divided into four "Turnings" that are about 22 years long - as long as the period between birth and adulthood. Children raised during a particular Turning share similar historical and cultural experiences, resulting in distinct generational types. The book suggests that interactions between generations explains why major crises occur roughly every 90 years (e.g. 1773 - 1861) and why spiritual awakenings similarly recur halfway between those crises.
Although Generations and related books are occasionally referenced in scholarly articles, some scholars do not find the theory compelling.
Contents |
Turnings
According to Howe and Strauss, just as history molds generations, so do generations mold history. Modern Anglo-American history runs on a two-stroke rhythm. The two strokes are an Awakening and a Crisis.
Awakening. During an Awakening, rising adults are driven by inner zeal to become philosophers, religious pundits, and hippies, thereby alienating children (who see the adult world becoming more chaotic each day) and older generations alike. Civil order comes under attack from a new values regime. Examples of Awakening eras include the Protestant Reformation (1517-1542), the Puritan Awakening (1621-1649), the Great Awakening (1727-1746), the Second Great Awakening (1822-1844), the Third Great Awakening (1886-1908), and the Consciousness Revolution (1964-1984). Seen as a tumultuous time, somewhat echoing a "Crisis".
Unraveling. An Unraveling is an era of relative peace and prosperity between an Awakening and a Crisis. The most recent Unraveling was seen between The Consciousness Revolution and the time just before September 11 (1985-2001), a time of paradigm shifting. Seen as a positive time, somewhat echoing a "High".
Crisis. A Crisis is a decisive era of secular upheaval. The values regime propels the replacement of the old civic order with a new one. Wars are waged with apocalyptic finality. Examples of Crisis eras include the Wars of the Roses (1459-1487), the Spanish Armada Crisis (1569-1594), the colonial Glorious Revolution (1675-1704), the American Revolution (1773-1794), the American Civil War (1860-1865), and the twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II (1929-1946).
High. A High is an era between a Crisis and an Awakening. The most recent High was seen between World War II and the Consciousness Revolution.
Types of Generations
Generations |
---|
|
The four types of generations in their theory are as follows:
Prophet/Idealist. A Prophet (or Idealist) generation is born during a High, spends its rising adult years during an Awakening, spends midlife during an Unraveling, and spends old age in a Crisis. Prophetic leaders have been cerebral and principled, summoners of human sacrifice, wagers of righteous wars. Early in life, few saw combat in uniform; late in life, most come to be revered as much for their words as for their deeds.
Nomad/Reactive. A Nomad (or Reactive) generation is born during an Awakening, spends its rising adult years during an Unraveling, spends midlife during a Crisis, and spends old age in a new High. Nomadic leaders have been cunning, hard-to-fool realists, taciturn warriors who prefer to meet problems and adversaries one-on-one.
Hero/Civic. A Hero (or Civic) generation is born during an Unraveling, spends its rising adult years during a Crisis, spends midlife during a High, and spends old age in an Awakening. Heroic leaders are considered to have been vigorous and rational institution-builders, busy and competent in old age. All of them entering midlife were aggressive advocates of technological progress, economic prosperity, social harmony, and public optimism.
Artist/Adaptive. An Artist (or Adaptive) generation is born during a Crisis, spends its rising adult years in a new High, spends midlife in an Awakening, and spends old age in an Unraveling. Artistic leaders have been advocates of fairness and the politics of inclusion, irrepressible in the wake of failure.
List of Generations
Howe and Strauss characterize generations and their types as follows:
Generation | Type | Birth years | Formative era |
---|---|---|---|
Late Medieval Saeculum | |||
Arthurian Generation | Hero (Civic) | 1433–1460 (27) | Unraveling: Retreat from France |
Humanist Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1461–1482 (21) | Crisis: War of the Roses |
Reformation Saeculum (104) | |||
Reformation Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1483–1511 (28) | High: Tudor Renaissance |
Reprisal Generation | Nomad (Reactive) | 1512–1540 (28) | Awakening: Protestant Reformation |
Elizabethan Generation | Hero (Civic) | 1541–1565 (24) | Unraveling: Intolerance and Martyrdom |
Parliamentarian Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1566–1587 (21) | Crisis: Armada Crisis |
New World Saeculum (112) | |||
Puritan Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1588–1617 (29) | High: Merrie England |
Cavalier Generation | Nomad (Reactive) | 1618–1647 (29) | Awakening: Puritan Awakening |
Glorious Generation | Hero (Civic) | 1648–1673 (25) | Unraveling: Religious Intolerance |
Enlightenment Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1674–1700 (26) | Crisis: King Philip's War/ Glorious Revolution |
Revolutionary Saeculum (90) | |||
Awakening Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1701–1723 (22) | High: Augustan Age of Empire |
Liberty Generation | Nomad (Reactive) | 1724–1741 (17) | Awakening: Great Awakening |
Republican Generation | Hero (Civic) | 1742–1766 (24) | Unraveling: French and Indian War |
Compromise Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1767–1791 (24) | Crisis: American Revolution |
Civil War Saeculum (67) | |||
Transcendental Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1792–1821 (29) | High: Era of Good Feeling |
Gilded Generation | Nomad (Reactive) | 1822–1842 (20) | Awakening: Transcendental Awakening |
Hero (Civic)0 | |||
Progressive Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1843–1859 (16) | Crisis: American Civil War |
Great Power Saeculum (82) | |||
Missionary Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1860–1882 (22) | High: Reconstruction/Gilded Age |
Lost Generation | Nomad (Reactive) | 1883–1900 (17) | Awakening: Missionary Awakening |
G.I. Generation | Hero (Civic) | 1901–1924 (23) | Unraveling: World War I/Prohibition |
Silent Generation | Artist (Adaptive) | 1925–1942 (17) | Crisis: Great Depression/World War II |
Millennial Saeculum (67+) | |||
(Baby) Boom Generation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1943–1960 (17) | High: Superpower America |
13th Generation (a.k.a Generation X)1 | Nomad (Reactive) | 1961–1981 (20) | Awakening: Consciousness Revolution |
Millennial Generation2 | Hero (Civic) | 1982–2000 (18) | Unraveling: Culture Wars |
Homeland Generation 34 | Artist (Adaptive) | 2001–present (10+) | Crisis: Second Cold War |
Note (0): According to the above chart, generational types have appeared in Anglo-American history in a fixed order for more than 500 years, with one hiccup in the Civil War Saeculum. The reasons for this is because according to the chart, the Civil War came about ten years too early; the adult generations allowed the worst aspects of their generational personalities to come through; and the Progressives grew up scarred rather than ennobled.
Note (1): Strauss and Howe use the name "13th Generation" instead of the more widely accepted "Generation X" in their book, which was published mere weeks before Douglas Coupland's Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture was. The generation is so numbered because it is the thirteenth generation alive since American Independence (counting back until Benjamin Franklin's).
Note (2): Although there is as yet no universally accepted name for this generation, "Millennials" is becoming widely accepted. Other names used in reference to it include Generation Y (as it is the generation following Generation X) and "The Net Generation." Another name "Generation Next" stems from a Pepsi-Cola corporation ad campaign featuring one symbol of Generation Y, the Spice Girls. Template:Citation needed
Note (3): New Silent Generation was a proposed holding name used by Howe and Strauss in their demographic history of America, Generations, to describe the generation whose birth years began somewhere in the early 2000s and the ending point will be around the early 2020s. Howe now refers to this generation (most likely currently being born) as the Homeland Generation.
Note (4): There is no consistent agreement among participants on the Fourth Turning message board that the War on Terror lies fully within a Crisis era. The absence of any attempt to constrict consumer spending through taxes or rationing and the tax cuts of the time suggest that any Crisis Era may have begun, if at all, later, as after Hurricane Katrina or the Financial Meltdown of 2008.
See also