Interbellum Generation is a term (derived from the

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''inter'' "between" and ''bellum'' "war") that is sometimes used to denote people born in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

during the first decade of the 20th century, often expressed specifically as the years 1901 to 1913. The name comes from the fact that those born during this time were too young to have served in the military during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, and were generally too old to serve as enlisted personnel in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

though many of them joined the armed forces then. Therefore the Interbellum Generation was sandwiched between the

Lost Generation The Lost Generation was the social generational cohort in the Western world that was in early adulthood during World War I. "Lost" in this context refers to the "disoriented, wandering, directionless" spirit of many of the war's survivors in th ...

and the

Greatest Generation The Greatest Generation, also known as the G.I. Generation and the World War II generation, is the Western demographic cohort following the Lost Generation and preceding the Silent Generation. The generation is generally defined as people born ...

. Members of this generation came of age either during the

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultural edge in the ...

or the initial phase of the Great Depression, prior to the election of

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and the promulgation of the New Deal. This fact contributed to the core of this generation holding lifelong left-

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

views in politics, especially on economic issues, although with a few prominent dissenters such as Barry Goldwater. Most of their children belong to the Silent Generation. The four

Presidents of the United States The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government and ...

of the Interbellum Generation were

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969. He had previously served as the 37th vice ...

(born in 1908), Ronald Reagan (born in 1911), and Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford (both born in 1913). However, all four served in World War II with members of the Greatest Generation. Two

Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the principal minister of the crown of His Majesty's Government, and the head of the British Cabinet. There is no specific date for when the office of prime minister first appeared, as the role was n ...

were also members of the Interbellum Generation, Alec Douglas-Home (born in 1903) and James Callaghan (born in 1912). Like their US Counterparts, they also served along with Greatest Generation members in World War II.

References

{{Cultural gens, state=collapsed Cultural generations Interwar period