Vienna 1900: Modernity

To what degree was Vienna in 1900 recognised as the birthplace of modernity, namely Vienna hosted a rich intellectual and artistic life, which accelerated the fall down of the house of Habsburg?

Zhongyao Li

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Almost 100 years ago, Vienna was at the centre of a world on the brink of war. Before the outbreak of the World War I, the cultural explosion was interpreted in all kind so aspects. The notion of “Vienna 1900” has been paid more attention by the academia since Fin-de-siecle Vienna was published by Carl Schorske in 1981.

Katherine Arens and Robin Okey are two of those scholars who are attracted to the beginning of twentieth century, the period of last days of Habsburg Monarchy.

Katherine Arens did her Ph.D at Stanford University in the United States and now is a professor in the University of Texas at Austin. She

A massive stock market crash in 1873 terrorized a generation into conservatism. while just a few years later, Vienna 1900 exemplifies how modern multimedia is nothing new. Although the extraordinary-like achievement made in the modernity, Vienna still failed to be recognized as most important role in shaping the real modern world, which is considered to be the fault of “over-optimistic idea of modernity” by essayist Jean Clair.

“Over-optimistic idea of modernity” may be the answer to the people who were living during the decay of Habsburg Monarchy as well. In order to destroy a old world, leading to a over-optimistic new world. The decline of the dynasty is a sad story for the upper class, but for ordinary people, it is a kind of future. The rich intellectual and artistic life which people lived in Vienna enjoyed are the thing that accelerated the disappearance of the Habsburg. Tow authors never deny the truth, but they discovery it in different