Soldiers returning from WWII caused a baby boom in Australia, Canada, the US, and the UK. The term “baby boomer” applies to those born between 1946 and 1964, but there is debate about the specific dates. Baby boomers have been influential in politics and culture, with some being more politically optimistic and others more cynical. The youngest baby boomers were too young to remember some of the cultural and historical moments associated with the generation.
In Australia, Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom, soldiers returning from World War II have caused an increase in birth rates. This increase was so great that many names were coined to explain the high birth rate. Also in Russia, the rise launched a name called Generation Sputnik. In Western Europe, Australia and North America, the name baboomer applies to the group of children born between 1946 and 1964.
There is actually quite a bit of debate about the specific dates. People born a year or two before the end of the war can still be considered baboomers. Also, the 18-year spread above is enough to encompass two generations. A baboom born in 1946 would be 18 years old in 1964 and could theoretically have a child who is also considered a baboomer. Some people suggest shortening the end period to 1963 or before the 1960s.
The baboomers have been attractive demographically. They enjoyed, for the most part, a longer life than their parents and made up the Yuppie generation. Boomers born in the 1950s were in their 30s during the conspicuous decade of consumption of the 1980s. Some children of the baboom were instrumental in protesting the Vietnam War and make up the hippie generation. Others represent the more conservative views of the war.
The baboomers have also been called the sandwich generation. They may have treated elderly parents and young children at the same time. Mostly they were regarded as an attractive demographic. As many as 76 million US citizens are boomers, and people have long understood that this generation will make up the majority of voters in the US in 2015.
From a cultural point of view, the baboom is identified with several important cultural and historical moments or movements:
The first man on the moon
Nascita del Rock and Roll
Civil Rights Movement
Women’s rights movement
Vietnam war protest
However, the youngest group of baboomers, those born in the mid-1960s, would have been too young to participate in or remember most of these things. Memorable shared experiences of the older baboomers include the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, his brother Robert, and the death of Marin Luther King Jr. The younger baboomers also mark the Watergate scandal, the Vietnam War, and the Cold War.
While the early baboom are often characterized as optimistic and hopeful of change through political channels and participation, the younger group born in the late 1950s or early 1960s are characterized by political cynicism and rejection of the establishment . Of course, within any group, there is a spectrum of political beliefs, viewpoints, and degrees of pessimism or optimism. A lot depends on the individual baboom. Clearly, though, this generation of children will continue to impact politics and daily life in countries where the baboom has existed.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
