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1990s
 

See also 1990s, the band

The 1990s decade refers to the years from 1990 to 1999, inclusive, sometimes informally including popular culture from 2000 and 2001. In the United States, much of the decade was characterized by the presidency of Bill Clinton, the popularity of the TV sitcom Seinfeld, and the wide expansion of the Internet. Others believe we still experience the 1990s in some ways because of similar music genres (definitive 1990s genres such as Grunge exist in some form or another during the 2000s decade), similar video game franchises (Sonic the Hedgehog series, Star Fox), fashions (straight hair, body art, hipster scene), and social concerns (globalization, media violence/sex/profanity). The popular culture zeitgeist generally associated with the 1990s can be said to begin between 1989 and 1992 and end anywhere from 1997 to the present day.

This other decade is designed by the 200th decade. They are primarily in the last decade of the 20th century (except for 1990), but some historians consider them to be the same social era as the 21st century (see short 20th century).

The 1990s were marked with rapid progression of democracy, globalization and global capitalism following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War. Key forces shaping the decade were the Gulf War; popularization of Personal Computers and the Internet, leading to the .com boom.

Overview

Many countries, institutions, companies, and organizations experienced the 1990s as a prosperous time. Despite the recession that affected much the world in late 1980s, high income economies such as the United States, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and South Korea experienced steady economic growth for much of the decade. The United Kingdom, after a recession in 1991-92 and devaluation of its currency on Black Wednesday, experienced sustained economic growth that stretched into the new millennium. Less affluent nations such as Malaysia also saw tremendous improvements in economic prosperity and quality of life during the 1990s. While optimism and hopes were high following the collapse of Communism, restructuring following the end of the Cold War was beginning. There was also the continuation of terrorism in Third World regions that were once the frontlines for American and Soviet foreign politics, particularly in Asia.

In many countries, political stability and decreased militarization due to the winding down of the Cold War led to economic development and higher standards of living for many citizens. These trends were also fuelled by inexpensive fossil energy, with low petroleum prices caused by a glut of oil. Oil and gas were discovered in many countries in the former Soviet bloc, leading to economic growth and wider adoption of trade between nations.

The widespread adoption of personal computers and the Internet increased economic productivity, while high levels of private investment in equity markets increased personal wealth among many Americans and Europeans. The economic gains of the 1990s were unevenly distributed throughout society, widening the gap between the wealthiest and poorest citizens in some countries; critics of capitalism contend that this should not have been allowed to happen to the extent that it did.

Politically, the 1990s was an era of spreading democracy. The former countries of the Warsaw Pact moved from totalitarian regimes to democratically-elected governments. The same happened in other non-communist countries, such as Taiwan, Chile, South Africa, and Indonesia.

The improvement in relations between the countries of NATO and the former members of the Warsaw Pact ended the Cold War both in Europe and other parts of the world. The Oslo Accords resulted in an agreement by Israel to allow Palestinian self-government.

Despite the economic prosperity and democracy, there were problems in the 1990s that became more visible after the decade ended. In Africa a rapid increase in incidence of AIDS contributed to falling life expectancy and zero or negative growth rates. In the states of the former Soviet Union GDP decreased as their economies restructured to produce goods they needed and some capital flight occurred. Financial crises in the developing world after 1994 began to undermine some support for globalization. Conflicts like the Balkan Wars, the Rwandan genocide, the Battle of Mogadishu in Somalia and the first Gulf War, as well as the continuation of terrorism, led some to hypothesize a Clash of Civilizations.

Youth culture in the 1990s was characterized by environmentalism, anti-globalization in some parts and entrepreneurship. Fashions were often individualistic, tattoos and body piercing gained popularity and "retro" styles inspired by fashions of the 1960s and 1970s were also prevalent. Some young people became increasingly involved in outdoor activities that combined embracing athletics with the appreciation of nature (such as kayaking, rock climbing and snowboarding).

Technology

The 1990s were a time of great change - mainstreaming and improving technologies invented and used first during the 1980s.

Science

War, peace, and politics

Economics

Culture

Trends/Various
=United States/Canada
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=Europe
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  • Dogma 95 becomes an important European artistic film movement by the end of the decade.
  • Eurodance music dominates discotheques and has numerous major mainstream hits in European (and to a lesser extent, North American) music charts.

Music

Television

Computer and video games
  • 3-D graphics become the standard by end of decade. Although FPSs had long since seen the transition to full 3d, other genres begin to copy this trend by the end of the decade.
  • The console wars, primarily between Sega (Mega Drive/Genesis) and Nintendo (Super NES), sees the entrance of Sony with the PlayStation in 1994. By the end of the decade, Sega's hold on the market becomes tenuous.
  • Mario finds a rival in Sonic the Hedgehog.
  • Arcade games rapidly decrease in popularity.
  • Sony's PlayStation becomes the top selling game console and changes the standard media storage type from cartridges to compact disks in consoles.
  • Doom (1993) bursts onto the world scene and instantly popularizes the FPS genre, and even how games are played, as Doom is among the first games to feature multiplayer capabilities. It is not until Quake (1996), however, that game developers begin to take multiplayer features into serious consideration when making games. Half-Life (1998) features the next evolutionary step in the genre and becomes one of the most popular computer games in history.
  • The strategy genre becomes popular with games such as Dune II (1992) and Warcraft (1994). Command & Conquer (1995) and Warcraft II (1996) further advance and popularize the genre. StarCraft (1998) becomes among the most popular games in computer game history.
  • Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing games (MMORPGs) see their entrance into the computer game world with Ultima Online in 1997, although they don't gain widespread popularity until EverQuest in 1999. MMORPGs go on to become among the most popular genres in the 2000s.
  • Pokémon entered the world scene with the release of the original Game Boy Pokemon Red and Blue games in Japan in 1996. It soon becomes popular in the U.S. and is adapted into a popular children's anime series and trading card game, among other media forms. Its popularity reaches its peak near the end of the decade, but rapidly declines early on in the 2000s, although it still retains a large cult following.

Internet

  • Beginnings of MP3 music downloading; in 1999 and 2000 the Napster controversy.
  • Internet begins to affect pop culture, beginning around 1996.
  • Most television stations gain Internet presence during the later half of the decade.
  • Earliest examples of Internet film.
  • Bulletin Board System interest decreases heavily with introduction of the Web.
  • Pornography on the internet launches and peaks in the late 1990s.

Other significant events

People

World leaders

Entertainers

Films

See also: 1990s in film