2010s
the 1st of January 2010 marked the start of a ten-year period that would reshape global economics and politics. The decade opened with an economic recovery from the Great Recession, though inflation and interest rates remained low throughout the years. Gross world product grew steadily from 2010 to 2019, accelerating in the latter half due to strong consumer spending and infrastructure investment. However, this recovery developed unevenly across nations. Socioeconomic crises in some countries triggered political revolutions in Tunisia, Egypt, and Bahrain. Civil wars erupted in Libya, Syria, and Yemen as part of a regional phenomenon known as the Arab Spring. Europe faced its own debt crisis early in the decade, while shifting social attitudes saw substantial progress for LGBT rights in developed countries.
Tunisia's president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resigned on the 14th of January 2011 after anti-government protests forced him from office. In Egypt, Vice President Omar Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation on the 11th of February 2011, transferring power to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. Muammar Gaddafi refused to step down during his 42-year rule, leading to armed rebellion where he was eventually killed in Sirte. The Syrian civil war began the 15th of March 2011 when police cracked down on protesters, later morphing into full-scale conflict. Russia annexed Crimea on the 18th of March 2014 following an internationally unrecognized referendum. North Korea conducted nuclear tests in 2013 and 2016, threatening pre-emptive strikes against neighboring nations. The Islamic State captured Mosul in June 2014 and made Raqqa its capital before losing all territory by December 2017.
Internet coverage grew from 29% to 54% of the world population between 2010 and 2019. Smartphones became widespread, increasingly displacing desktop computers for many users. Wikipedia rose from the 9th to the 5th most popular website, almost sextupling its monthly visits while Yahoo declined from first to ninth place with two-thirds fewer monthly visits. Twitter ranked sixth among top ten websites, Instagram eighth, and Baidu fourth. Edward Snowden blew the whistle on global surveillance systems, raising awareness about government and private entity roles in information privacy. Social media facilitated phenomena like the Me Too movement, slacktivism, and online cancel culture. Data processing advancements and 4G broadband rollout allowed information to be collected and dispersed at unprecedented paces across domains.
Global warming became increasingly noticeable through record temperatures and extreme weather events across all continents. CO2 concentration rose from 390 to 410 parts per million over the decade. The Paris Agreement was adopted on the 12th of December 2015 by all 195 UNFCCC member states aiming to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. Major natural disasters included the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, and the Nepal earthquake of 2015. Tropical cyclones Bopha (Pablo), Haiyan (Yolanda), and Maria caused devastating damage. The 2019 European heat waves added to a growing list of environmental crises that garnered substantial media attention and prompted international policy responses.
Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time during the decade. Cable providers saw subscriber declines as cord cutters switched to lower-cost online streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+. Minecraft emerged as the best-selling game of all time while handheld console gaming revenue was overtaken by mobile gaming in 2011. Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft continued dominating the video game industry alongside rising indie games. Drake was named top music artist of the decade in the United States by Billboard. Fifty Shades of Grey became the bestselling book of this decade. Globalization created musical subgenres through streaming services including Spotify, SoundCloud, and Apple Music, with mainstream success for K-pop, Latin music, and trap genres.
China overtook the United States as the world's largest trading nation and filed the most patents by decade's end. Military spending reached its highest level since 1988 in 2018, largely fueled by increased defense budgets from the United States ($649 billion) and China ($250 billion). Together their budgets accounted for half of global military spending. Russia under Vladimir Putin modernized its military throughout the decade, developing T-14 Armata tanks and Su-57 jet fighters. The European Union experienced a migrant crisis in the middle of the decade and saw withdrawal of the United Kingdom following the 23rd of June 2016 referendum where 52% voted to leave. Donald Trump was elected president in 2016 amid an international wave of populism and neo-nationalism while China enhanced suppression and control of Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and Tibet within its borders.
Common questions
What marked the start of the 2010s decade?
The 1st of January 2010 marked the start of a ten-year period that would reshape global economics and politics. The decade opened with an economic recovery from the Great Recession, though inflation and interest rates remained low throughout the years.
When did Tunisia's president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resign during the Arab Spring?
Tunisia's president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali resigned on the 14th of January 2011 after anti-government protests forced him from office. This event triggered political revolutions across nations including Egypt and Bahrain as part of the regional phenomenon known as the Arab Spring.
Which countries were affected by civil wars in the 2010s?
Civil wars erupted in Libya, Syria, and Yemen as part of a regional phenomenon known as the Arab Spring. The Syrian civil war began the 15th of March 2011 when police cracked down on protesters, later morphing into full-scale conflict.
How many UNFCCC member states adopted the Paris Agreement on climate change?
The Paris Agreement was adopted on the 12th of December 2015 by all 195 UNFCCC member states aiming to keep global warming below 2 degrees Celsius. CO2 concentration rose from 390 to 410 parts per million over the decade alongside record temperatures and extreme weather events.
What film became the highest-grossing movie of the 2010s decade?
Avengers: Endgame became the highest-grossing film of all time during the decade. Cable providers saw subscriber declines as cord cutters switched to lower-cost online streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Disney+.