HIST 138 London: From Imperial Metropolis to Global City
This course charts the development of London from the Victorian age into the early twenty-first century, when a city known as the 'heart of the empire' became a truly global city. We'll explore the city through primary sources, including journalism, memoirs, fiction, legislation, and film, and through the work of social and cultural historians. Topics covered include: the transformation of the Victorian city through gas, light, and water; the role of the metropolitan press in shaping the significance of London within the Empire; the emergence of London as a playground for the rich and a home for the working poor; the city as battleground - of total war between 1939 and 1945 - and of governance in the 1970s and 1980s; and the remaking of the city as a sanctuary for the wealth of global elites.
Prerequisite
Open to first-year students and sophomores only