We often use decades to refer to the distinct cultural and political eras of past century. Is this a recent understanding, or did historians of previous centuries also use "decadeology"?

by Guomindang

Although arbitrary and simplistic, the idea of defining decades is a prominent convenience for understanding the past in broad terms. But I only know generalizations of the Roaring Twenties and after. Did historians make generalizations about the decades before? If so, were these generalizations as well known to the average person as recent decades are to us? And what were some examples of these generalizations?

tfdalton

There's a pretty good answer here from a few months ago, based mostly on popular culture.