Lesson 10 of 12

1980s: Between Chornobyl and Berlin

Explore a decade of dramatic contrasts — where Cold War tensions simmered, technology leapt forward, and the world faced its worst nuclear disaster.

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The world entering the 1980s

The 1980s opened with economic uncertainty, nuclear fears, and political hardliners on both sides of the Iron Curtain. Yet, change was in the air.

Common questions

Why are the 1980s called the decade of decadence?

Because wealth and spending became the decade's defining image, a booming stock market, the rise of the young urban professional, and a greed-is-good business culture put conspicuous consumption on show, from designer labels to Wall Street excess, earning the era its reputation for materialism.

What was invented in the 1980s?

Home computing was the big one: the personal computer moved out of labs and offices and into ordinary households during the 1980s. The decade also brought the compact disc, early handheld mobile phones, and the networking protocols that would later make the internet usable for everyone.