When Did the Industrial Era End and the Modern Era Begin?

[ggganz]

I am posting this poll to see when I should get the "You Have Entered the Modern Era" message. What do you think?

 

[ichiro51]

it was 1914 ww1 which started the mpdern era

 

[Rex Tyrannus]

Agree almost with ichiro. The end of WWII started the modern era. To me, the defining moment was splitting the atom.

 

[Mongolia]

I may have voted 1900s but I have changed my mind, actually, to me, it was when the first signal was sent down a wire (I don't know when this was).

 

[potatokiosk]

When aircraft became relevant in war. They weren't of much use in WWI.

 

[drkodos]

I may have voted 1900s but I have changed my mind, actually, to me, it was when the first signal was sent down a wire (I don't know when this was).

The first commercial electric telegraphs were in the late 1830's although there were experiments that predate these as far back as the 1770's.

From a purely historic perspective, the Early Modern era actually happened BEFORE the Industrial era. It occured at the end of the Middle ages.

Cheesey Wikilink: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Times_(history)

Commonly, most people today consider the Modern ages to have started @ 1870 or so.

 

[ichiro51]

When aircraft became relevant in war. They weren't of much use in WWI.

aircraft wasnt that great
what was the first war to lose a million poor people

 

[Mongolia]

Commonly, most people today consider the Modern ages to have started @ 1870 or so.

Thanks for putting me straight on that "Signal down a wire thing" if your info is correct, which I assume it is, then I have changed my mind again now.

Personally I think that most people today think the Modern Era started at the begging of 1900 exactly, though probably alot think your idea 1970 too, and I am split between 1900 and the end of WW2.

I think the first telephone (none mobile) is a good bet too.

PS
Don't tell me too: "Make up your mind!" It's a hard question!
PPS
How do you make a pole?
PPPS
How do you change the thing under your screen name that, for me at the moment I save this says Chieftain?

 

[marioflag]

Yes historically the accurate date is after first world war.World War I is in the 20th century but it is the continuation of industrial era and the period of freat powers struggle in europe.
20th century from an historical point of view is 1918-11 september 2001
and 21 st century 11 sep - ????

 

[drkodos]

Thanks for putting me straight on that "Signal down a wire thing" if your info is correct, which I assume it is, then I have changed my mind again now.

Personally I think that most people today think the Modern Era started at the begging of 1900 exactly, though probably alot think your idea 1970 too, and I am split between 1900 and the end of WW2.

I think the first telephone (none mobile) is a good bet too.

PS
Don't tell me too: "Make up your mind!" It's a hard question!
PPS
How do you make a pole?
PPPS
How do you change the thing under your screen name that, for me at the moment I save this says Chieftain?

Technically speaking, the end of WWII ushered in the era of POST-Modernism, which some historians consider to have begun in 1960 and extended until the end of the millenium.

There is no historical consensus on what to refer to our current time period as. Some people choose to use a word such as "Nano-technologic" to describe our current era.


Historic era taxonomy is always a most subjective topic.

On some levels, we are still in the Industrial ages, although many a historian chooses to refer to these times after WWII as the Post-Industrial era. When we eventually hit peak oil in a few more years, we may slide back into a less industrious era, and that will certainly be most interesting.

 

[dh_epic]

This is debated a lot. Some people say the end of the industrial era was over with the end of WW1.

Others say it was replaced by the atomic era, which emerged after WW2.

Yet others say it's about switching from a largely industrialized economy to a new economy. Some believe this is the information economy. Others still believe this hasn't happened at all yet -- and we've yet to achieve the next big revolution in productivity.

 

[Ball Lightning]

I think the end of WW2, is the time when we changed ages, but i think that there should be:
Coal Age: 1800-1899
Oil Age: 1900-1999
Gas, Uranium age? 2000-2099

 

[dh_epic]

The ages ARE artificial, btw. Even the "Medieval Age" just means "Middle" -- the time that came in between one age and another. And "Modern" age usually means the recent stuff -- which means that's a moving definition either.

The only really reliable measure is "what resources are we using"? From Bronze, to Iron... a long period of stagnation, followed by the mass use of fossil fuels, which we've used for about 200 years.