1990s a

The 1990’s was characterized by the rise of multiculturalism (cultural diversity) and alternative

media.

Movements such as grunge, the rave scene and hip hop spread worldwide to young people during the

decade.

New technology was introduced.

Social factors1990’s known as the ‘caring decade’.

Attempted control over access to sex and violence by children- limiting what they watch/read.

This lead to changes in the language used in films and age restrictions given on films and games.

Social factorsAs Britain entered the 1990’s there was an

increase in the influence of capitalism and Britain were in recession.

By the end of the decade and recession, Britain reinvented itself as ‘Cool Britannia’.

Social factorsRock and pop music was introduced by bands

such as Blur, Oasis and The Spice Girls.

These bands brought new words/phrases into the public eye through their song lyrics, which then people popular as people followed the trends.

The Spice girls also played a part in the feminist movement, reigning in popularity with the phrase ‘Girl Power!’

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gJLIiF15wjQ

Popular films

Fashion

The curtained haircut increased in popularity amongst teenage boys and young men.

Slap bracelets popular amongst teenagers.

Light up sneakers, Dr. Martens and jelly shoes.

The grunge hype at the beginning of the decade popularized flannel skirts for both sexes.

The early 1990s saw a continuation of 1980s fashion: women wore denim button down shirts, neon colours and oversized sweaters.

Political factors1991- Margaret Thatcher stepped down from

being first female Prime Minister and John Major (a conservative) takes over.

1997- Tony Blair becomes Prime Minister for labour.

New words associated with labour were used throughout the country e.g. ‘New Labour.’

War1991- Civil war broke out, with Croatia and Slovenia succeeding.Carried on till the end of this century and introduced the phrase ‘ethnic cleansing’ (the removal of ethnic groups from a given territory, with the intent of creating a homogenous territory) into the English language.

The Gulf War also began in 1991 and was led by The United States against Iraq. The British language was soon introducing many words from the US, such as ‘friendly fire’- an attack by a military force on friendly forces while attempting to attack the enemy.

Changing attitudesIndependent states in Europe increased from 25

to 40 and the European Community was enlarging itself.

The European Union (an economic and political union) was transformed in 1992.

As countries communicated with each other, words/phrases were becoming global and added to the English language.

TechnologyThe 1990’s was a revolutionary decade for

digital technology.

Only a few million people used online services in 1990 and the World Wide Web had only just been invented.

The first web browser went online in 1993 and by 2001, more than 50% of some Western countries had internet access.

Mobile phones gained massive popularity worldwide during the decade.

TechnologyPortable CD players very popular with youth

culture during the 1990’s.

Tamagotchi invented- hand-held digital pet, first sold in Japan 1996.

ScienceDetection of extra solar planets orbiting stars

other than the sun.

In the UK, the first cloned mammal, Dolly the sheep was confirmed by the Roslin Institute. This triggered a raging controversy on cloning and concerns regarding possible human cloning, which still continues today.

New words entering the dictionary

Cybercafe- a café/ coffee shop with access to internet.

Cool Britannia- a phrase describing Britain in the late 1990’s- approval of pop groups, fashion etc.

False memory syndrome- events remembered that have not actually occurred.

World-wide Web

Millennium bug- a problem with computer software, dealing with dates of 1st Jan 2000 or later.