This book provides a study of the social and cultural history of Germany through written, visual and oral sources during this important period.

By the 1930s over two-thirds of Germans lived in towns and cities, and those who did not found themselves inexorably affected by the ever-growing urban vortex. The German Urban Experience 1900 - 1945 surveys the social and cultural history of Germany in this crucial period through written, visual and oral sources. Focusing on urbanism as one of the major forces of change, this book presents a wide range of archive sources, many available for the first time, as well as film scenes, literature and art. Exploring the German experience of 'urbanism as a way of life' in cities from Berlin and Dresden to Hamburg and Leipzig, this book discusses: the concept of the urban experience the development of urban infrastructure and transport the social conditions of the urban poor health and the effects of the city on the body production and commerce in German cities the city as a challenge to traditional gender hierarchies

'[A] superb documentary source book ... McElligott's choice of material is quite simply inspired and the result is a marvellously rich tapestry of words and images that document the complexity of the early twentieth-century German urban experience. It is the model of what a collection of sources should be and cannot be recommended highly enough.' - Journal of European Studies 'This is an excellent book ... a fascinating evidential exploration ... As such, this book should have an appeal to everyone confronted with the task of teaching modern history; it should be essential reading for every urbanist in the university system.' - Urban History