"Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from approximately 1945 to the present."
The study of human civilization from the 20th century to the present day.
Cold War: The period of geopolitical tension between the Soviet Union and the United States, from the end of World War II to the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Globalization: The increasing interconnectedness of the world's economies, cultures, and populations through communication, transportation, and trade.
Decolonization: The process by which colonial powers withdrew from their empires, granting independence to former colonies.
Civil Rights Movement: The social and political campaign to end racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans in the United States.
Vietnam War: A Cold War-era conflict between communist and capitalist forces in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, in which the United States played a major role.
Iranian Revolution: The overthrow of Iran's monarchy and its replacement with an Islamic republic, following a popular uprising in 1979.
Feminist Movement: The campaign for women's rights and gender equality, which began in the 19th century and continues to this day.
Environmentalism: The movement to protect the natural world and conserve resources, which gained momentum in the 20th century.
Post-modernism: The intellectual movement that emerged in the late 20th century, challenging traditional notions of objectivity, truth, and reality.
Digital Revolution: The technological transition from analog and mechanical devices to digital technologies, which has transformed nearly every aspect of modern life.
Terrorism: The use of violence or intimidation to achieve political goals, which has become a prominent feature of contemporary international relations.
Human Rights: The movement to protect the fundamental rights of all human beings, including civil, political, economic, and social rights.
Apartheid: The system of racial segregation and discrimination in South Africa, which was dismantled in the 1990s.
Genocide: The deliberate killing of a large group of people, particularly those of a particular ethnic, national, or religious group.
Global Warming: The gradual increase in the Earth's average surface temperature, primarily due to human activities such as burning fossil fuels and deforestation.
"Contemporary history is either a subset of the late modern period, or it is one of the three major subsets of modern history, alongside the early modern period and the late modern period."
"Contemporary history is politically dominated by the Cold War (1947–1991) between the Western Bloc, led by the United States, and the Eastern Bloc, led by the Soviet Union."
"The confrontation spurred fears of a nuclear war."
"Both sides intervened in the internal politics of smaller nations in their bid for global influence and via proxy wars."
"The Cold War ultimately ended with the Revolutions of 1989 and the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991."
"The latter stages and aftermath of the Cold War enabled the democratization of much of Europe, Africa, and Latin America."
"Decolonization was another important trend in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Africa as new states gained independence from European colonial empires."
"The Middle East also saw a conflict involving the new state of Israel, the rise of petroleum politics, the continuing prominence but later decline of Arab nationalism, and the growth of Islamism."
"The first supranational organizations of government, such as the United Nations and European Union, emerged during the period after 1945."
"Countercultures rose and the sexual revolution transformed social relations in western countries between the 1960s and 1980s."
"Living standards rose sharply across the developed world because of the post-war economic boom."
"Japan and West Germany both emerged as exceptionally strong economies."
"The culture of the United States spread widely, with American television and movies spreading across the world."
"Globalization led to the emergence of new financial and industrial centers in Asia."
"The Japanese economic miracle was later followed by the Four Asian Tigers of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan; and later China after its economic reform."
"Science made new advances after 1945: spaceflight, nuclear technology, lasers, semiconductors, molecular biology, genetics, particle physics, and the Standard Model of quantum field theory."
"The first commercial computers were created, followed by the Internet, beginning the Information Age."
"Living standards rose sharply across the developed world because of the post-war economic boom."
"The latter stages and aftermath of the Cold War enabled the democratization of much of Europe, Africa, and Latin America."