1990s

The 1990s, also known as "the Nineteen Nineties" or abbreviated as "the Nineties" or "the '90s", was a decade that began on January 1, 1990, and ended on December 31, 1999. The tenth and final decade of the 20th century and the last full decade of the 2nd millennium ended on December 31, 2000. The decade is seen by many Western nations as a period of peace and prosperity.

The 1990s is often considered the true dawn of the Information Age. Though info-age technologies predate the 1980s, it was not until the late 1980s and the 1990s that they became widely used by the general public. A combination of factors, including the mass mobilization of capital markets through neoliberalism, the beginning of the widespread proliferation of new media such as the Internet, and the dissolution of the Soviet Union led to a realignment and reconsolidation of economic and political power across the world, and within countries.

The decade is seen particularly by many Western nations as a period of peace and growing prosperity as the threat of Cold War conflict ended with the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and the subsequent dissolution of the Soviet Union. Living standards and democratic governance generally improved in many areas of the world, notably East Asia, much of Eastern Europe, Latin America, and South Africa. The economies and living standards of some countries such as South Korea and Ireland improved to such an extent that they were considered 1st World nations by the decade's end.

New ethnic conflicts emerged in Africa, the Caucasus and the Balkans, and signs of any resolution of tensions in the Middle East remained elusive.