English Explanatory Dictionary

short twentieth century

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. The period between 1914 and 1991, from the beginning of World War I to the fall of the Soviet Union.
noun
  1. Any period of years defined by significant historical events falling within the 20th century (1 January 1901 to 31 December 2000).

Pronunciation

/ˈʃɔːt ˌtwɛn.(t)ɪ.əθ ˈsɛn.t͡ʃ(ʊ).ɹi/ /-ɪθ-/ LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-short twentieth century.wav /ˈʃoɹt ˌtwɛn.(t)ɪ.əθ ˈsɛn.(t)ʃ(ə).ɹi/

Word forms

short twentieth century the short twentieth century short 20th century short twentieth centuries

Etymology

The concept underlying the proper noun was developed by the Hungarian historian Iván Tibor Berend (born 1930), and the term itself was popularized by the British historian Eric Hobsbawm (1917–2012) in his book The Age of Extremes (1994). Like the corresponding terms long eighteenth century and long nineteenth century, it aims to define historical eras by significant events rather than by the arbitrary beginnings and ends of centuries. The common noun was probably derived from the proper noun.

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