Well the latest major overarching plot-arch is the rise of ideologies like nationalism, liberalism, and socialism in the 19th century; followed by their massive impact on western civilization in the 20th; and now the glimpse of them being replaced by old/basic loyalties (family/tribe/religion/etc.) or if you are more optimistic in your outlook the competition between the victorious liberal democratic ideology and those traditional/charismatic authorities.
And if you consider the technological developments of the information age...
Maybe collectively you could refer to OTL as "The Second Renaissance" (with the question of whether this renaissance is still rising or is falling left to the individual's interpretation).
And if you consider the technological developments of the information age...
Maybe collectively you could refer to OTL as "The Second Renaissance" (with the question of whether this renaissance is still rising or is falling left to the individual's interpretation).