All That Is Solid Melts Into Air: The Experience of Modernity

The central theme of the book revolves around the paradoxical nature of modernity, which is simultaneously creative and destructive. This duality is evident in the way modernization reshapes cities, cultures, and individual identities, offering new possibilities while eradicating old ways of life. Berman explores this theme through various lenses, including literature, urban planning, and Marxist theory, to illustrate how modern forces have sculpted the contemporary world.

Berman uses Goethe’s Faust as a metaphor for the developmental tragedy of modern existence, where ambition leads to both creation and destruction. Similarly, Marx’s analysis in The Communist Manifesto provides a critique of capitalism’s fleeting nature, transforming human relations and creating a world where “all that is solid melts into air.” This expression, which serves as the book’s title, encapsulates the essence of modernity’s paradox—its capacity to generate and annihilate simultaneously.

To deepen the exploration of this theme, Berman studies the psychological and emotional impacts of modernity’s dual forces on individuals and communities. He discusses how the rapid pace of change can lead to a sense of loss and disorientation, even as it opens up new opportunities for innovation and cultural evolution.