History of Paris Exam Flashcards
When was the Franco Prussian War?
July 19th 1870 – May 10th 1871
Who was involved in the Franco Prussian War?
A conflict between the 2nd French Empire and the North German confederation.
Led by the Kingdom of Prussia
What were the reasons for the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War?
- Bismark provoked France
- A false dispatch was written about a meeting between Prussian King William and the French foreign minister
- French Parliament and Press demanded a war, but were unprepared
When did France declare war?
16 July 1870
Hostilities began 3 days later, on the 19th
Why was France almost doomed to fail in confrontation with Prussia?
German forces had more numbers, and moved faster than the French did.
German forces also used modern technology – such as the Rail Transportation Service.
What Battle determined the fate of the war?
The Battle at Sedan, September 1st 1870
Who died during the Battle of Sedan?
French: 17K killed, 21K captured
Prussians: 2320 killed, 5980 wounded, 700 captured
How did the Franco Prussian War end?
Ended with the Treaty of Frankfurt on May 10th 1871
What did the Treaty of Frankfurt entail?
- It gave Germany most of Alsace and some parts of Lorraine
- the German states proclaimed their union as the German Empire under the Prussian king, Wilhelm I, uniting Germany as a nation-state.
Why did the siege of Paris occur?
The German soldiers surrounded the walls of Paris, and stopped supplies from entering the city.
What was life in Paris like during the siege?
Life became difficult:
- December 1870: The Seine froze for 3 weeks, temperatures dropped to -15C
- Shortages in food, firewood, coal, medicine
- City was completely dark at night.
How did the Parisians communicate with the outside world?
Balloon, carrier pigeon, or letters packed in iron
balls floated down the Seine.
- 1st successful balloon: September 23rd 1870
- 2nd balloon: September 25th 1870
How did they respond to the shortage of food?
- Local zoo’s animals were eaten
- Resorted to feeding on rats
- It was safer to drink alcohol than water (Water was dirty Seine water)
What was the Paris Commune of 1871?
March 18th to May 28th 1871
A Commune council was elected gave the republican the control of Paris on March 26th 1871
What was the program of the Paris Commune? (8)
• separation of church and state;
• remission of rents owed for the entire period of the siege (during which payment had been suspended);
• abolition of night working in bakeries;
• granting of pensions to the unmarried companions and children of national guardsmen killed in active
service;
• free return by pawnshops, of all workmen’s tools and household items, valued up to 20 francs, pledged
during the siege;
• postponement of commercial debt obligations, and the abolition of interest on the debts;
• workers’ self-management (right of employees to take over and run an enterprise) if it were deserted by
its owner
• prohibition of fines imposed by employers on their workmen.
Who was Gustave Courbet?
A French Realist Painter
The Moving Spirit behind the culture war of Monuments
Suppressed the city’s traditional art schools
The Vendôme column toppled in 1871
Why did the supporters of the Paris Commune engage in a massive destruction of the public buildings in Paris during the “bloody week” in May 1871
The Commune refused to accept the authority of the French government. The supporters followed the Commune into a week of heavy street fighting and massacres.
Units of National Guardsmen began to take revenge by burning public buildings symbolising the government
Who were the petroleuses?
Female arsonists who supported the Commune and who burned buildings representing the government in the last days of the Commune
How did the Paris commune end?
On May 28th 1871, soldiers took the last remaining seats of the commune.
What were the political groupings that challenged the government of the Third Republic in the 1870s and 1880s?
Bonapartists - Apologists of the Empire
Monarchists/Loyalists
Legitimists faithful to the Bourbons of 1814
Orleanists faithful to the July Monarchy of 1830
What were the sources of anti-Semitism in France in the 1870s and 1880s?
The rumour was spread that the regime had won the elections of 1889 only with the help of Jewish gold.
French Antisemitic League was started in 1889
How did the Panama Canal scandal and the Dreyfus Affair contribute to the radicalization of the Third Republic
In 1892, a newspaper La Libre Parole exposed bribes paid by the Panama Canal Company to some republican deputies to pass laws favourable to the Company.
Dreyfus was imprisoned on Devil’s Island in French Guiana, where he spent nearly five years.
Both divided the French society
Why did the reconstruction of Paris after the Paris Commune become a political issue?
Republic appropriating the visual space
Why did the Sacré-Coeur Basilica become a symbol of culture wars in post-Commune Paris?
Finished in the 1890s, located on top of Montmartre
Sacre Coeur = Sacred Heart
Commemorated the 58K Parisians who died in the Commune
Divide between the radically secular republican state and the Catholic Church in France.
In what way did the Haussmann’s reconstruction of Paris centre contribute to the development of commerce and consumerism?
Showcased Paris as a world capital
Made appartments available to upper and middle class
Transportation (OMNIBUS)
Created a divide between entertainment sectors, and residential sectors.
What was the Omnibus?
Built in 1855
By 1860, it was transporting 70,000,000 people in Paris annually
How did the department store originate?
Developed out of “magasins de nouveautés”
(dry goods firms that began to appear in the
1830s and 1840s)
Bon Marché was the first department store
What was novel about the department store that revolutionized the shopping experience?
- the idea was to sell at low prices for high turnover
- free entry was permitted
- purchases could be returned for reimbursement
- mail-order service was offered
- an ambience was agreeable to the customer
Why were female consumers viewed as a potential social hazard?
Conflict between civic and commercial culture
People viewed female consumers as impulse shoppers
How did the notion of a “new woman” develop in 19th-century France?
one who is ready to turn her back on the traditional domestic ideal in favour of a professional career and the pursuit of individual self-fulfillment.
Feared because of depopulation
What made some commentators believe that the traditional gender order was turning upside-down?
Contemporary Literature sounded alarmist, and included depictions of The masculinized women
How was the “new woman” represented?
one who smoked, dressed as a man, cut her hair short, rode a bicycle and possibly had a sexual preference for other women
