Politics

What are the four cycles of history? Based on recent American history, does the “four Turning” theory hold water? In The Fourth Turning, William Strauss and Neil Howe explain that human history is characterized by a cyclical progression through four “Turnings.” The First Turning is a High, the Second Turning is an Awakening, the Third Turning is an Unraveling, and the Fourth Turning is a Crisis. Read on to learn what characterizes each Turning; how the most recent First, Second, and Third Turnings played out; and the authors’ predictions for the next Fourth Turning.

What is the Fourth Turning? Was the Third Reich a Fourth Turning? How do crises transform nations? In The Fourth Turning, historian William Strauss and consultant Neil Howe explain how Anglo-American history follows a pattern of four 15- to 25-year periods, called Turnings. The Fourth Turning, they say, is a Crisis. Continue reading to learn about Strauss and Howe’s theory of the Fourth Turning and their predictions for America’s next one.

Does history follow a pattern? If so, can we make solid predictions about the future? In The Fourth Turning, historian William Strauss and consultant Neil Howe explain how Anglo-American history follows a pattern of four 15- to 25-year periods, called Turnings. They wrote during a Third Turning, and they made predictions about the Fourth. Keep reading to learn the Fourth Turning predictions they made and how accurate they turned out to be.