Silent Generation

We explain what the silent generation is, its characteristics and the events that affected it. In addition, we tell you what the other generations are.

The silent generation grew up in a climate of surveillance and persecution.
Summary of Contents

What is the silent generation?

The Silent Generation Silent Generation) is the usual name for the demographic group between the years 1925 and 1945 approximately, according to Anglo-Saxon terminology. The silent generation is the successor of the GI generation or generation of World War II and the predecessor of the so-called baby boomers (1946-1964).

The term “silent generation” was used for the first time in 1951, in an article in the American magazine Timesand it is due to the alleged reluctance of this generation to express their political opinions. This may be because these young adults grew up during McCarthyism, in a climate of surveillance and persecution of dissent (under accusations of communism) in the United States and much of the West.

However, other terms have been used to describe this demographic cohort, such as Lucky few (“the lucky few”) or Builders (“builders”), referring to the fact that this generation rebuilt Europe after World War II. Likewise, the established range of dates to delimit this generation ranges between 1925 and 1928, and between 1942 and 1945.

See also: Collective identity

Features of the silent generation

The silent generation is characterized by:

  • Its members were born between 1925 and 1945, a time of great crises and conflicts in the world.
  • Its members today have an age range that ranges between 99 and 79 years. It is the oldest of the generations existing at the beginning of the 21st century
  • They tend to express a cautious and conservative worldview little given in general to political militancy.
  • tended to marry and have children young just like their parents.
  • were austere and hardworking and assigned women traditional roles in the home.
  • They were the first to experience the so-called “midlife crisis ”.
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Important events for the silent generation

The silent generation witnessed the revolutionary insurgency in the third world.

Among the most notable events that affected the lives of this generation are:

  • The end of World War II and the detonation of the atomic bomb. An event of immense importance in the contemporary history of humanity, and one that many of these individuals witnessed at an early age. The destructive capacity of human beings was one of his first great lessons.
  • The Cold War and McCarthyism. The sharp division of the world into two ideological poles: the capitalist and the communist, was a politically complex scenario. In the United States, for example, McCarthyism – fanatical anti-communism – was the predominant doctrine between 1950 and 1956.
  • The Cuban Revolution. The silent generation witnessed the revolutionary insurgency in the third world, in the form of communist guerrillas who tried to take power and were successful in Cuba in 1959. The figure of Fidel Castro was loved and hated in equal measure at that time.
  • The fight for civil rights in the US. The Black Panthers, social leaders Martin Luther King and Malcolm X, and the assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy were events of great impact and shock in the United States and the West. Discontent with the system inherited from his parents was notorious.
  • The Korean War. This conflict, framed in the Cold War, was the first international conflict in which the majority of the silent ones were called up. The war between South Korea, supported by the United States, and North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union, lasted from 1950 to 1953 and claimed around 3 million human lives.
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What are the generations?

In addition to the silent generation, there are other known generations such as:

  • baby boomers. They are called that given the significant rise in birth rates that they experienced. These are those born between 1946 and 1964, who will represent 15% of the world population in 2023.
  • Generation. It is also called “the lost generation” or “the dumb generation”, and it acts as a bridge between baby boomers and millennials. This is a generation that witnessed the great changes of the 20th century and includes those born between 1965 and 1980. In 2023, it will represent 18.2% of the world's population.
  • Generation Y or millennials. They are called that because they witnessed the end of the second millennium of the current era. They are the first generation that was born immersed in the technological revolution of the late 20th century. This includes those born between 1981 and 1997, who represent 22.4% of the world population.
  • Generation Z or centennials. It is also called “postmillennial” or “centuritic” and is the first generation of digital natives. It covers those born between approximately 1997 and 2012, who will represent 23.7% of the world population in 2023.
  • Generation Alpha. It is called that because it is the first generation entirely born in the 21st century. It covers individuals born between 2012 and 2022, who in 2023 represent 17.2% of the world population.

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References

  • Henger, B and Henger, J. (2012). The Silent Generation: 1925-1945. Authohouse.
  • Howe, N. (2014). “The Silent Generation, 'The Lucky Few' (part 3 of 7).” Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/
  • McIntosh-Elkins, J., McRitchie, K., & Scoones, M. (2007). “From the silent generation to generation x, y and z: strategies for managing the generation mix.” SIGUCCS '07: Proceedings of the 35th annual ACM SIGUCCS fall conference. pp. 240-246.

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