The Electroweak Theory

After a short essay on the current state of particle physics, I review the antecedents of the modern picture of the weak and electromagnetic interactions and then undertake a brief survey of the $SU(2)_{L}\otimes U(1)_{Y}$ electroweak theory. I review the features of electroweak phenomenology at tree level and beyond, present an introduction to the Higgs boson and the 1-TeV scale, and examine arguments for enlarging the electroweak theory. I conclude with a brief look at low-scale gravity.