No city has had as powerful and as enduring an impact on Western civilization as London. Throughout its vast and riveting history, London

• was the capital of a powerful empire that covered one-fifth of the world's landmass and one-quarter of its population;
• was the headquarters of a constitutional monarchy with more elements of democracy and popular participation than any Western country before the United States;
• was the economic center of Europe both during and after the Industrial Revolution, serving as its financial center, its banking center, and its largest port;
• spearheaded innovative modern solutions (including public institutions and municipal police forces) to universal human ills such as crime, disease, and poverty;
• was the site of historical political movements that led to wider government reform, including the fight for women's suffrage;
• was the home to some of history's greatest individuals, including William Shakespeare, Queen Victoria, and Winston Churchill; and
• served as the last bastion of freedom in Europe against the onslaught of the Nazis in World War II.

London's greatness continues to this day. The city stands as a global metropolitan center and continues to be synonymous with important developments in international business, culture, and politics.

But why London? What made the city the perfect environment for all these great political, social, and cultural developments? How did this city endure sweeping historical revolutions and disasters without crumbling? And what about its citizens—what exactly defines a Londoner, both in the past and today?

London: A Short History of the Greatest City in the Western World is your opportunity to find the answers to these and other questions about this magnificent metropolis. In 24 fascinating lectures, Oxford-trained historian and award-winning Professor Robert Bucholz of Loyola University Chicago takes you through London's history, from its birth as a Roman outpost in the 1st century C.E. to its current status as a 21st-century global village. An encyclopedic view of a city like no other, this course will take you back to London as it was lived and felt throughout history.

If you've been to London before, prepare to discover a wealth of new insights into the city you thought you knew. And if you haven't—prepare to be captivated by a city whose sights, history, people, and spirit serve as an amazing window into Western history.