The New Demographic-Technological Model
An Introduction

A People without History is like the Wind on the Buffalo Grass. --- Lakota

Over the course of the last few years, we have presented in discussions in The Millennial Files the basic structure of a new demographic-technological model of United States history. First of all, the model represents a combination of Neil Howe and William Strauss's new demographic paradigm, described in their book, Generations: The History of America's Future, with our work on the technological cycles of the 200 years of American industrialization. It is important to note that each of these models was developed independently; we believe, however, they reinforce each other in a manner that enhances both models' credibility and utility.

In Generations Strauss and Howe proposed a highly original and universal generational paradigm that they applied to the specific history of the United States. Strauss and Howe's work concentrated on the social, political and cultural history of the country. The Millennial Files, however, applies the generational framework of Strauss and Howe to a model of economic development based upon four technological cycles that taken together have constituted the Industrial Age in America.

--- by Kirt Sechooler, February, 1998

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