Summary of William Strauss and Neil Howe's The Fourth Turning

Get the Summary of William Strauss and Neil Howe's The Fourth Turning in 20 minutes.

Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Strauss and Howe base this vision on a provocative theory of American history.

The authors look back five hundred years and uncover a distinct pattern: Modern history moves in cycles, each one lasting about the length of a long human life, each composed of four eras-or "e;"e;turnings"e;"e;-that last about twenty years and that always arrive in the same order.

In The Fourth Turning, the authors illustrate these cycles using a brilliant analysis of the post-World War II period.First comes a High, a period of confident expansion as a new order takes root after the old has been swept away.

Next comes an Awakening, a time of spiritual exploration and rebellion against the now-established order.

Then comes an Unraveling, an increasingly troubled era 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.

Together, the four turnings comprise history's seasonal rhythm of growth, maturation, entropy, and rebirth.