During the high days of modernization fever, among the many disorienting changes Germans experienced in the Weimar Republic was an unprecedented mingling of consumption and identity: increasingly, what one bought signaled who one was. Exemplary of this volatile dynamic was the era's burgeoning motorcycle culture. With automobiles largely a luxury of the upper classes, motorcycles complexly symbolized masculinity and freedom, embodying a widespread desire to embrace progress as well as profound anxieties over the course of social transformation. Through its richly textured account of the...
During the high days of modernization fever, among the many disorienting changes Germans experienced in the Weimar Republic was an unprecedented mi...
On March 26th, 1923, in a formal ceremony, construction of the Milan-Alpine Lakes autostrada officially began, the preliminary step toward what would become the first European motorway. That Benito Mussolini himself participated in the festivities indicates just how important the project was to Italian Fascism. Driving Modernity recounts the twisting fortunes of the autostrada, which-alongside railways, aviation, and other forms of mobility-Italian authorities hoped would spread an ideology of technological nationalism. It explains how Italy ultimately failed to realize its...
On March 26th, 1923, in a formal ceremony, construction of the Milan-Alpine Lakes autostrada officially began, the preliminary step toward what wou...
During the unprecedented modernization of Germany's Weimar Republic, motorcycle culture instantiated the new link between consumption and identity. Motorcycles became symbols of masculinity and freedom that exposed the problems and allures of mass-consumption and modern values.
During the unprecedented modernization of Germany's Weimar Republic, motorcycle culture instantiated the new link between consumption and identity. Mo...
