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William Strauss and Neil Howe, in their books Generations (ISBN 0688119123) (1992) and The Fourth Turning, divide Anglo-American history into saecula, or seasonal cycles of history. These saecula are further divided into generations by birth year and are classified as one of four types of generations or historical periods. Since the 15th century, the only exception to the "four-season" cycle was the Civil War saeculum, when the generation type jumped from Reactive to Adaptive with no civic generation.
Two-stroke rhythm
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, 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).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 War for American Independence (1773-1794), the American Civil War (1860-1865),and the twin emergencies of the Great Depression and World War II (1929-1945).High/Unraveling
A High is an era between a Crisis and an Awakening, and an Unraveling is an era between an Awakening and a Crisis. The most recent High was seen between World War II and The Consciousness Revolution. The most recent Unraveling was seen between The Consciousness Revolution and the present, a time of paradigm shifting.Types of Generations
The four types of generations 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 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
The list of generations and their types is as follows:
| GENERATION | TYPE | BIRTH YEARS |
|---|---|---|
| Late Medieval Saeculum: | ||
| Arthurian | Hero (Civic) | 1433-1460 |
| Humanist | Artist (Adaptive) | 1461-1482 |
| Reformation Saeculum: | ||
| Reformation | Prophet (Idealist) | 1483-1511 |
| Reprisal | Nomad (Reactive) | 1512-1540 |
| Elizabethan | Hero (Civic) | 1541-1565 |
| Parliamentarian | Artist (Adaptive) | 1566-1587 |
| New World Saeculum: | ||
| Puritan | Prophet (Idealist) | 1588-1617 |
| Cavalier | Nomad (Reactive) | 1618-1647 |
| Glorious | Hero (Civic) | 1648-1673 |
| Enlightenment | Artist (Adaptive) | 1674-1700 |
| Revolutionary Saeculum: | ||
| Awakening | Prophet (Idealist) | 1701-1723 |
| Liberty | Nomad (Reactive) | 1724-1741 |
| Republican | Hero (Civic) | 1742-1766 |
| Compromise | Artist (Adaptive) | 1767-1791 |
| Civil War Saeculum: | ||
| Transcendental | Prophet (Idealist) | 1792-1821 |
| Gilded | Nomad (Reactive) | 1822-1842 |
| Progressive | Artist (Adaptive) | 1843-1859 |
| Great Power Saeculum: | ||
| Missionary | Prophet (Idealist) | 1860-1882 |
| Lost | Nomad (Reactive) | 1883-1900 |
| G.I. | Hero (Civic) | 1901-1924 |
| Silent | Artist (Adaptive) | 1925-1942 |
| Millennial Saeculum: | ||
| Baby boomer | Prophet (Idealist) | 1943-1960 |
| 13th Generation1 | Nomad (Reactive) | 1961-1981? |
| Millennial Generation2 | Hero (Civic) | 1982?-2003? |
| New adaptive generation - as yet unnamed | Artist (Adaptive) | 2004?-2025? |
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 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). Some demographers have also referred to this group as the Baby Bust generation, a term that like Generation X has some definitional confusion.
Note (2): The name "Generation Y" is also used in reference to this generation, as it is the generation following Generation X. There is no universally accepted name for this generation.
Question marks in the above table indicate that the consensus generational boundary has not been defined yet, but generations are on average about 22 years in length, so approximations can be listed.
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.)
See also
American generations | Theories of history | 1992 books | United States history books
"Generations (book)"