ABSTRACT
The rapid and dynamic economic and demographic changes in Europe during the quarter-century before the First World War led to equally dynamic transformations of social structures and social institutions. Class structures evolved, following the developments in industry and agriculture. A change was the rapid increase in urbanization. If industrial development attracted populations to the outskirts, the transformation of public transportation made it possible to live there yet work or shop closer to the centre of town. This change was a direct result of the second industrial revolution, in particular the electrification of public transport, underground railway systems in the largest cities and, far more widespread, light rail transport in the form of trams or trolleybuses. One of the major features of twentieth-century European history was the development of a consumer society, where consumption choices and leisure activities became steadily more important in individuals lives and a focus of personal and group identification.
