Courses

Across three quarters, this series traces the making of the modern world through extraordinary cities where empires rose, cultures mingled, and political ambitions reshaped entire regions. The series opens with four capitals that helped shape modern Europe: London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna.

From their Roman, Celtic, and tribal beginnings to the rise of global empires in the 18th century and the upheavals of the 20th, these cities stood at the center of revolution, war, and cultural reinvention. By the 19th century, London had become the nerve center of the British Empire, its ports linking goods, ships, and fortunes from across the globe. Paris emerged as Europe’s intellectual and artistic capital, from the Enlightenment salons of the 1700s to Haussmann’s grand boulevards. Berlin was repeatedly transformed by militarism, fascism, Cold War division, and reunification after 1989. Vienna flourished as the elegant imperial seat of the Habsburg world, where cafés, concert halls, and radical new ideas helped Freud, Mahler, and Wittgenstein redefine modern culture. We’ll explore the distinctive character of these capitals and the rivalries, alliances, and cultural exchanges that connected them over centuries. Each city will be brought to life through lecture, discussion, maps, and rich visual material.