The Fourth Turning
The Fourth Turning is a thought-provoking book that delves into the patterns of history. William Strauss and Neil Howe will change the way you see the world—and your place in it. They help you discover the game-changing theory of the cycles of history and what past generations can teach us about living through times of upheaval—with deep insights into the roles that Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials have to play. First comes a High, a period of confident expansion. Next comes an Awakening, a time of spiritual exploration and rebellion. Then comes an Unraveling, in which individualism triumphs over crumbling institutions. Last comes a Crisis—the Fourth Turning—when society passes through a great and perilous gate in history. With blazing originality, The Fourth Turning illuminates the past, explains the present, and reimagines the future.
ABOUT THE BOOK
Strauss and Howe present a fascinating picture of history, past, present, and future.
They have provided an eerily accurate and thought-provoking model for predicting the broad arc of history leading up to present-day events.
The four archetypes are Hero, Artist, Prophet, and Nomad. When each archetype comes of age, there is a turning, or shift in societal mood.
The four turnings are High, Awakening, Unraveling, and Crisis.
THE FOUR TURNINGS
First Turning: High.
There is confident growth as a new order takes shape.
Second Turning: Awakening.
A time of spiritual exploration and rebellion against the now-established order.
Third Turning: Unraveling.
An increasingly troubled era as individualism triumphs over crumbling institutions.
Fourth Turning: Crisis.
When society passes through a great and perilous gate in history.
PRAISE FOR THE BOOK
“I put down The Fourth Turning with a mixture of terror and excitement... If Strauss and Howe are right, they will take their place among the great American prophets.”
—David Kaiser, The Boston Globe
“One of the best efforts to give us an integrated vision of where we are going.”
—The Wall Street Journal
“A startling vision of what the cycles of history predict for the future.”
—USA Weekend