"The mid-20th century was an era of mass prosperity in the US and parts of Europe, but it was an anomalous few decades, not the norm." But to those living and

"The mid-20th century was an era of mass prosperity in the US and parts of Europe, but it was an anomalous few decades, not the norm." But to those living and remembering that era - it was the norm that they (we) compare with, so it is the reference that matters.