Roaring Twenties? Europe in the interwar period

While recognising the shadows cast by two world wars (one concluded and one imminent) over European society during the 1920s and 1930s, this free course, Roaring Twenties? Europe in the interwar period, demonstrates how a number of specific features indicate that the interwar period was a distinctive and important moment of modernity in the twentieth century, from the rise of the metropolis and the emergence of new forms of mass media, to the changing lifestyles of women and the increasingly interventionist approaches to managing the health and welfare of modern populations.

• Introduction
• Learning outcomes
• 1 Modernism
• 1 Modernism
• 2 Modern populations
• 2 Modern populations
• 3 The interwar city as a site of modernity
• 3 The interwar city as a site of modernity
• Exploring interwar Berlin
• Station 1: Potsdamer Platz
• Station 2: Onkel Toms Hütte
• Station 3: Krumme Lanke
• Station 4: Nollendorfplatz
• 4 Mass media and the transformation of popular culture
• 4 Mass media and the transformation of popular culture
• The politics of production
• Content
• Reception
• 5 The ‘New Woman’ – myth or reality?
• 5 The ‘New Woman’ – myth or reality?
• Modern fashion in the making of modern women
• 6 Governments and populations
• 6 Governments and populations
• Infant welfare
• Social medicine
• Conclusion
• Glossary
• References
• Further reading
• Acknowledgements