The Modern World: The 20th Century and Beyond

The 20th century brought faster change than any previous era. Two devastating World Wars reshaped borders and governments, the rise of technology transformed everyday life, and global movements fought for human rights and equality. The world your grandparents were born into looked very different from the one you know.

World War One was sometimes called 'the war to end all wars', yet just over twenty years later an even larger conflict broke out. World War Two was fought across the whole globe and ended in 1945. Out of its terrible suffering came a strong determination to build a more peaceful, fairer world.

After World War Two, many countries in Asia and Africa that had been ruled by European empires gained their independence. India became independent from British rule in 1947. Between 1950 and 1975, over 50 African nations achieved independence. This huge change is called decolonisation.