Resources

Common Historical Eras

One of the ways history is commonly divided is into three separate eras or periods: the Ancient Period (3600 BC - 500 AD), the Middle Ages (500 -1500), and the Modern Era (1500-present). According to this classification, the eras last hundreds of years, even thousands of years in the case of the Ancient Period.

Within the Modern Era we have all kinds of smaller eras, like the Age of Discovery (spanning the 15th-17th century) and the Enlightenment (in the 18th century). The Age of Discovery was characterized by global exploration, particularly in the New World. The Enlightenment was characterized by an emphasis on reason, individualism, humanism, tolerance, and a skepticism of religious tradition.

Other common historical eras include:

• The Industrial Revolution (spanning the 18th and 19th centuries; characterized by industrial and technological advances)

• The American Civil War Era (1861-1865; the war between the Northern and Southern United States)

• The Victorian Era (was in the 19th century; a British era coinciding with the reign of Queen Victoria)

• The Progressive Era (which took place in the late 19th and early 20th century; an American movement marked by social reform)

• World War I (took place from 1914-1918; a modern global war)

• The Interwar Period (spanned from 1919-1939; the period between World War I and World War II)

• World War II (took place between 1939-1945; a second modern global war)

• The Cold War Era (spanned 1945 through the early 1990s; a period of tension between the United States and the Soviet Union)

Sometimes these eras overlap. For example, the 'Roaring Twenties' and the 'Interwar' Period took place at the same time, but the term 'Roaring Twenties' is usually applied in the context of American history, whereas 'Interwar Period' is generally used in the context of European history.