Classicism and the Construction of Capital Cities

"Exploring the intriguing interplay between tradition and modernity in the 19th-century capitals of London, Athens and Rome, Richard Alston delves into the political and architectural choices that shaped these cities as representations of self-consciously modern nations. Politicians and architects invested in classical styles in their efforts to break with traditions and assert new values. Classical style was employed to address questions of urbanism and nation, citizenship and belonging, and history and civilization"--