A study of the political, social, and cultural history of the Austrian Empire, and particularly its capital city, Vienna, during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Topics include the rise and decline of the Austrian Empire, the emergence of political liberalism, the rise of the “new Conservatives,” the crisis of traditional Austrian society and culture, and the crisis of Viennese modernism. The final third of the course takes a detailed look at the life and experiences of Adolf Hitler, who grew up amid all of these dramatic changes and crises -- crediting them with shaping his racist and reactionary worldview. The final goal of the course will be to evaluate the accuracy of Hitler’s assessment regarding the impact of Vienna on the tragic course of the twentieth century.