Beauty on the Edge of the Abyss
At the turn of the 20th century, Vienna was a global center for modern culture. The city’s artists, musicians, writers, and philosophers revolutionized the way people saw the world. To this day, the era’s achievements shape both Vienna’s view of itself and visitors’ expectations of the city.
This vibrant cultural life was enjoyed by only an elite. The pleasures its members savored were set against a backdrop of nearly unimaginable poverty and misery: Vienna’s masses lived in squalor.
The city tried to raise the standard of living with new infrastructure projects, but these only underscored the social inequities. Before long, people started to protest. Members of the working classes demanded their rights. Women marched for education, self-determination, and the right to vote. Soon, World War I began and changed everything.