Fin de d

An expression used in arts and literature, the French fin de siècle translates to “end of the century”; it connotes the waning years of an era, while also heralding change. Usually used in reference to late 19th century France, at its core, fin de siècle means tumult, progress, development.

But what about fin de décade? (To any Francophones: did we co-opt the term correctly?) Over the year, we noticed how many anniversaries were being celebrated, and it got us thinking: Does change come about when a set period of time is ending?

Review the evidence:

This year marked the twentieth anniversary of 1989 – the year when revolution spread across and transformed the face of Europe, when Communism ceased to be a viable form of government on the European continent. It started in February, when Poland’s Communist government held talks with the banned trade union, Solidarity; it swept across Hungary, where the barbed wire border with Austria was cut down, to the embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany in Prague, where in August hundreds of East Germans took refuge; the fire of change traveled north, where more than two million people created a human chain crossing the Baltic states; revolution came to East Germany, where the symbol of a divided world – the Berlin Wall – toppled; the flames traveled southeast, to Bulgaria, and finally east to Romania, where on Christmas Day 1989 the infamous dictator Ceasescu was executed.

This all happened in one calendar year. The same year which also saw Chinese students protest, with devastating results, at Tianamen Square.

Thirty years ago, in 1979, revolution came to Iran; the deposition of the Shah and ensuing rule of the Ayatollah re-defined the country’s international relationships as well as geopolitics in the region. And, as we know, the first real opposition to Iran’s current regime sparked this summer, during another “9” year.

This year also marked the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, one of if not the most devastating wars in world history, and almost certainly the most devastating period in Jewish history, when European Jewry as it existed was thoroughly and completely annihilated.

Another anniversary: not only was Darwin born in a “9” year, 1809 – which we readily admit is a matter of chance – he published On the Origin of Species in 1859. No matter one’s view on the Theory of Evolution, creationism, or intelligent design, there is no debating Darwin’s impact on contemporary understanding of the natural sciences.

Of course, other years are important too. Journalist and writer Mark Kurlansky devoted an entire book (and a good one, too) to the importance of the year 1968 in shaping modern society. And World War I, which radically altered our notions of state and nationhood began mid-decade in 1914. September 11 was at the start of a decade, in 2001 – although it being the start of a new millennium it certainly fits in with the fin de siècle thesis. Yes, pivotal events can take place at any time; but it seems that were one to choose a year in which these events are most likely to occur, it would be a “9” year.

Fin de décade events are like explosions, tumultuous states of affairs. The early years of the following decade are when the after effects – good or bad, depending on the type of explosion – are felt. What does that mean for us? We’re in for some rough, challenging, but hopefully change-inducing years ahead.