The 1990s were an interesting time. The fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of communism across Eastern Europe signified a world that was markedly different than what the rest of the 20th century experienced. However, those who came of age in the 1990s - Generation X - still carried the baggage of many of the conflicts of that previous world. Nonetheless, Generation Xers proved to be more open-minded than previous generations, and their culture explored social issues that were off limits earlier in the century. The 1990s world also was considerably different than those before it because of the advent of the Internet. The rise of the Internet - indeed, what you are using to access this lesson right now! - revolutionized telecommunications and the way people lived, worked, communicated, and played.