2020s History: Key Events, Politics And Culture

Covid, a cost-of-living squeeze, a change of monarch and AI arriving all at once.

Below: the key events of the 2020s, the politics of the decade, the social changes that came with them, the culture people still talk about, and what ordinary life looked like.

Written for quizzes, reminiscence sessions, school projects and anyone working out what a relative lived through.

Key events of the 2020s

• The first UK Covid lockdown begins on 23 March 2020; vaccination starts in December 2020.
• The UK leaves the EU single market on 31 December 2020.
• Russia invades Ukraine in February 2022.
• Elizabeth II dies in September 2022 after a 70-year reign; Charles III is crowned in May 2023.
• Energy prices and inflation squeeze households through 2022 and 2023.
• Labour wins the general election in July 2024.

Politics and government

• Partygate, then the shortest premiership in British history in autumn 2022.
• Three prime ministers in 2022 alone.
• Furlough paid the wages of around 11.7 million jobs at its peak.
• Strikes across rail, health and education in 2022-23 over pay and inflation.
• Devolved governments take visibly different Covid decisions from Westminster.

Social change: rights, work and family life

• Lockdowns from March 2020 changed work, school and family life overnight.
• Furlough paid the wages of around 11.7 million jobs.
• Black Lives Matter protests in summer 2020 reopened arguments about statues, policing and history teaching.
• Hybrid working stuck for office jobs and emptied parts of the high street.
• The 2022 cost of living squeeze pushed energy bills and food prices into every household decision.

Culture and entertainment

• Zoom quizzes, banana bread and clapping on the doorstep in 2020.
• Streaming premieres replace cinema releases, then partly go back.
• TikTok reshapes pop; older songs chart again after going viral.
• The Lionesses win the Euros in 2022.
• AI image and text tools go public in 2022 and are everywhere by 2024.

Everyday life

• Working from home becomes normal for office jobs and then partly hybrid.
• Online shopping share jumps and never fully returns to pre-2020 levels.
• Cost of living dominates household decisions from 2022.
• Queues for GP appointments and NHS waiting lists as a constant news story.

Years covered in the 2020s

• 2020 - Lockdown, clapping on doorsteps and a year nobody needs reminding of. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2020
• 2021 - Another lockdown, then a summer of football and reopening. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2021
• 2022 - The Platinum Jubilee, the death of the Queen and three Prime Ministers. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2022
• 2023 - The coronation, Barbenheimer and 'Last Christmas' finally getting to number one. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2023
• 2024 - A July general election, the Olympics in Paris and Gavin & Stacey signing off. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2024
• 2025 - The Lionesses retained the Euros and the Oasis reunion filled the stadiums. Full year: /blogs/news/look-back-to-2025
• That is every 2020s year we have written up so far: 2020 to 2025.

How to use this

• Quiz round: read an event and ask for the year, or read a year and ask for the prime minister.
• Reminiscence: ask where they were for one of the events above. The answers are always better than the facts.
• School project: pair this page with the decade calendar for a year-by-year timeline.
• Anyone born in 2020 turns 50 in 2070, 60 in 2080 and 70 in 2090.

Shop prints and posters

How to write it so it lands

• Pair this with the decade calendar if you need the events in year order.
• For a reminiscence session, read one event and let the conversation go wherever it goes.
• Politics and everyday life rarely moved at the same speed. Both sections are here for that reason.

Where to shop next

• Look back to 2020
• Look back to 2021
• Look back to 2022
• Look back to 2023
• Look back to 2024
• Look back to 2025
• 2020s calendar: year by year
• 2020s trivia: fun facts
• 2020s art and artists
• 2020s films and directors
• 2020s music: albums and artists
• 2020s fashion: clothes, hair and accessories
• The 2020s: the whole decade
• 2020s party playlist
• Viral and TikTok party games
• Phone party games
• How to run a quiz night
• Guess the year quiz
• Decade books: best novels, authors and reading trends
• Decade art: artists, styles and trends by era
• Decade films: best movies and directors by era
• Decade fashion: clothes, hair and accessories by era
• Music by decade: albums, artists and songs
• Decade calendar: every year from 1920
• Decade trivia: fun facts by era
• Decade trivia game: play for points
• Decade quiz: test your memory
• Nostalgia gift shop
• Milestone birthday cards
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• All guides

Frequently asked questions

What were the most important events of the 2020s?

The first UK Covid lockdown begins on 23 March 2020; vaccination starts in December 2020. The full list above covers the events that defined the decade.

What was happening politically in the 2020s?

Partygate, then the shortest premiership in British history in autumn 2022. The politics section above covers the governments, laws and arguments of the decade.

How did society change in the 2020s?

Lockdowns from March 2020 changed work, school and family life overnight. The social change section above lists the laws, rights and shifts in work and family life that defined the decade.

What was life like in the 2020s?

Working from home becomes normal for office jobs and then partly hybrid. The everyday life section above covers homes, money, work and shopping.

What was popular culture like in the 2020s?

Zoom quizzes, banana bread and clapping on the doorstep in 2020. There are fuller guides to the decade's music, films, television and fashion linked from this page.

Can I use this for a quiz or a school project?

Yes, freely. Print it, read it out, copy it - no permission needed. We make greeting cards and prints; these pages are free.