By the 1930s over two-thirds of Germans lived in towns and cities, and those who did not found themselves inexorably affected by the evergrowing urban vortex. This new work surveys the social and cultural history of Germany in this crucial period through written, visual and oral sources, presenting a wide rang of archival materials, many available for the first time, as well as film scenes, literature and art. In essence, the German experience of urbanism as a way of life in cities from Berlin and Dresden to Hamburg and Leipzig is thorougly explored.