ABSTRACT
The life experiences of the people living in contemporary Vienna differ dramatically according to the age group. The senior citizens have lived in at least two worlds: As youths they suffered often incredible hardships, material deprivation and little emotional satisfaction; they are spending their old age in an affluent society oriented towards permissiveness, consumption and pleasure. There is no Warsaw corollary to Viennese indifference and the attitude of displaying "coolness" about the problems of other people. The life experiences of the Varsovians are characterized by a much higher intensity and acuteness, an awareness of the struggle for survival and a better life. Most Warsaw families settled in the city after World War II. They came from the villages or from smaller townships. What makes the biographies of average Varsovian families different from their Viennese counterparts, however, is the experience of resistance.
