This episode continues our theme of the emergence of modernity in 1920s, focusing on the rise of the metropolis. As we'll see, the metropolis was more than just a big city, it meant experiencing mass society for the first time. For some, this was thrilling, as individuals enjoyed the glitz and glamour made possible by modern life. For others, it provoked deep anxieties about the future, as the individual disappeared into a sea of humanity. Topics covered include: the Dilemma of Life in the Big Apple (0:50); continued urbanization (14:42); Art Deco (21:31); Skyscrapers (27:14); Mass Transit (32:56); Crime (41:59); Fritz Lang's "M" (48:47); Georg Simmel (53:36); Advertising (1:02:29); The Department Store (1:15:46); Mass Entertainment (1:23:45); Dance Clubs (1:26:58) and movie "Metropolis" (1:32:58). 

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In our last two episodes we looked at how waves of political violence swept over post-World War I Europe.  But not all revolutions are political.  In this episode, we investigate revolutions in art, architecture, film and music - movements that dramatically altered the European cultural landscape.  Topics covered include: Josephine Baker (4:49), Dada (17:00), Surrealism and Dali (27:22), Marc Chagall (32:04), Writing and James Joyce (35:36), Architecture and Erich Mendelsohn (45:22),  Walter Gropius and Bauhaus (54:00), Film and the Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (100:16), Der Blaue Engel (108:33) and Jazz (112:17).

note: website will be updated next week.

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 As we saw in our last episode, the foundation of European society after World War I was supposed to be national self-determination. All peoples would be free to form their own national states, and nations would treat each other equally, eschewing the competitiveness of Great Power politics that had lead directly to the war. Yet as this episode demonstrates, far from achieving lasting peace, the years immediately after World War I were filled with more war and violence across most of Europe. Topics covered in the episode include the fundamental problem of measuring nationality (4:14), the Polish-Ukrainian War of 1918-19 (9:20), the Irish War of Independence (22:53), Violence in the early Weimar Republic (28:25), Hungary and Bela Kun (34:56) and the Spanish Flu (39:50). 

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In January 1918, American President Woodrow Wilson laid out his vision for a durable peace settlement that would end the Great War. Abandoning traditional diplomatic practices that called on losing powers to make territorial concessions to the victors, Wilson's vision suggested a new Europe built on mutual respect and democratic principles. In doing so, his idealism gave the Entente war efforts renewed purpose, and laid the foundations for the postwar era. But how effective would Wilson's ideas be? This episode examines the reception of Wilson's ideas and the Paris Peace Conference of 1919, noting some of the ways his ideals salvaged 19th century European society.  We'll also discuss some of the conference's failures, including the treaties it produced.

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In the second episode of our series on Stalinism, we try to get a better sense of what everyday life was like outside of repression.  In particular, we'll focus on Stalin's attempt to industrialize the Soviet Union, to transform it in the span of five to ten years from a backwards country to a futuristic society through central planning and collectivization.  The episode argues that it was this push for modernity that led ordinary citizens to justify/accept the extraordinary violence and repression of the 1930s.  Topics discussed include: the Moscow Metro (9:53), the Soviet Economy (17:15), the Five Year Plans (25:10), Alexei Stakhanov (30:13), Soviet work culture (32:02), Magnitogorsk (35:49), shortages (55:07),  and the (Soviet) civilizing mission (102:01).

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Born as Ioseb Jughashvili, this son of a cobbler would strike fear in the hearts of millions as the Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. In the first episode of this two part series, learn how Stalin built perhaps history’s most ruthless dictatorship, why it became a living nightmare for those who lived through it (especially for members of the Communist Party).  Among other topics, the episode discusses the leadership battle to succeed Lenin (20:39), the Great Purges of  1930s (43:00), the establishment of GULAGs (1:05:30), Collectivization (1:17:23) and the Holodomor – a Holocaust-like planned famine that targeted Soviet Ukraine (1:21:21).

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As previously discussed, the Enlightenment envisioned a future where reason could be used to stamp out the imperfections of human society, creating lasting peace and prosperity. But can reason go too far? In this episode we examine some of the contradictions of the Enlightenment, noting how they led to an artistic and cultural revolution known as Romanticism. Among other topics, we'll discuss: Frankenstein, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Notre Dame, French fashion during the Napoleonic period and the painters Jacques-Louis David and Caspar David Friedrich.

Contradictions of the Enlightenment: Toleration, Jewish Emancipation (11:01); Race (23:13); Jean-Jacques Rousseau (26:06); Immanuel Kant (33:25); Johann Gottfried Herder (35:50); Neo-classicism (39:39); Romanticism (51:52); Architecture: Gothic, Notre Dame (Paris) (54:04); Literature: Frankenstein (56:57); Painting: Goya, Caspar David Friedrich, (1:02:28)

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In our last episode, we saw how Christmas by the early modern period (c. 1600) had become a raucous affair, a time when social relations inverted and moral standards were  usually relaxed.  This is a far cry from our modern, family-centered Christmas.  This episode charts the reforms in the 18th and 19th century that gave birth to the modern version Christmas we all know and love.  Topics covered include the origins of Santa Claus and Christmas Trees, Dickens' Christmas Carol and Hoffmann's Nutcracker, the evolution of Christmas presents and more!

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Christmas: perhaps the most anticipated day of the year. A time for faith and family, for Santa Claus, Christmas Trees and a warm glass of eggnog or glühwein consumed whilst listening to carolers sing classic songs. This is the modern Christmas celebrated around the globe on Dec. 25th each year. But it was not always this way. Over its long life span, Christmas has been many things - not all of them what you might expect. In this - the first of two episodes on the history of Christmas, we examine the origins of this wonderful holiday - both its pagan and early Christian roots. In addition, we'll discuss how Christmas evolved into a raucous time for debauchery and mischief during the medieval period - so much so that it was actually banned by the Puritans several centuries later.

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In the winter of 1917, Lenin and the Bolsheviks set out on a bold project: the construction of the world’s first socialist society.  Although much ink had been spilled on this topic over the previous century, the reality was that much work had to be done to transform these vague ideals and aspirations into lived reality.  In this episode, we examine the first steps taken by the new Soviet State in implementing Communism, highlighting in particular Lenin and the Bolsheviks’ use of violence as a tool to achieve social harmony.  We also try to understand what life in the USSR was like in the early 1920s for ordinary people, answering why they found such a violent and dictatorial regime appealing.  Along the way we’ll discuss things like the Checka, the New Economic Policy (NEP), Soviet policy towards farmers, the rise of the Red Army, and experimentation in the arts.

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