Bauhaus a German interdisciplinary school of fine and applied arts that brought together many leading modern architects, designers, and theatrical innovators. (p. 931)






dadaism artistic movement of the 1920s and 1930s that attacked all accepted standards of art and behavior and delighted in outrageous conduct. (p. 933)

Dawes Plan the product of the reparations commission headed by Charles G. Dawes that was accepted by Germany, France, and Britain, and reduced Germany’s yearly reparations, made payment dependant on German economic prosperity, and granted Germany large loans from the United States to promote recovery. (p. 939)






existentialism a highly diverse and even contradictory system of thought that was loosely united in a courageous search for moral values in a world of terror and uncertainty. (p. 925)






functionalism the principle that buildings, like industrial products, should serve as well as possible the purpose for which they were made. (p. 930)






Great Depression a world-wide economic depression from 1929-1933, unique in its severity and duration and with slow and uneven recovery. (p. 942)






id, ego, and superego Freudian terms to describe human behavior, which Freud saw as basically irrational. (p. 929)






logical empiricism a revolt against established certainties in philosophy that rejected most of the concerns of traditional philosophy, from the existence of God to the meaning of happiness, as nonsense and hot air. (p. 925)






Mein Kampf book written by Adolph Hitler, in which he outlines his theories and program for a "national socialist revolution." (p. 940)






neutron the most important of the subatomic particles because its capacity to pass through other atoms allowed for intense experimental bombardment of matter, leading to chain reactions of unbelievable force. (p. 927)

New Deal Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s plan to reform capitalism through forceful government intervention in the economy. (p. 946)






Popular Front A New Deal-inspired party in France led by Leon Blum that encouraged the union movement and launched a far-reaching program of social reform, complete with paid vacations and a forty-hour workweek. (p. 948)






Social Democrats a flexible and nonrevolutionary socialist government in Scandinavia that grew out of a strong tradition of cooperative community action. In the 1920s, it passed important social reform legislation for both peasants and workers, gained practical administrative experience, and developed a unique kind of socialism. (p. 946)

stream-of-consciousness technique literary technique, used by James Joyce and others, using interior monologue to explore the human psyche. (p. 929)






WPA Works Progress Administration, set up in 1935. The most famous of Roosevelt’s New Deal programs, it employed one-fifth of the entire labor force at some point in the 1930s, constructing public buildings, bridges, and highways. (p. 946)