Napoleon Research Paper
The transition of the urban development of Paris France towards the second empire- Napoleon lll
1760-1820
During the industrial revolution in Western Europe, the shift from agrarian to industrialised and urban society was led by Britain. Britain, a powerful empire was consistent in making new scientific discoveries that led to the boom of their economy, specifically the textile industry. The invention of machineries such as the ‘flying shuttle’ that enabled more than 1 weaver to do the work of 2 increased the production of clothing that accommodated the demands of the increasing population of Britain. The textile industry had embraced the technology that lead to the construction of further factories that produced more clothes therefore …show more content…
accompanied by massive profits. Thomas Newcomen, made a significant contribution through inventing an atmospheric steam engine that enabled mines to be drained of water
Deferment by the French revolution and Napoleonic Wars, France was in the middle of a slump, which had started on 1827. France did eventually follow through among with other Western European countries that“… worked hard to imitate British technologies” (Frasetto. M, 2015, para. 8) .
On 1830-1848, France was under the reign of the July Monarchy, also known as the Bourgeois Monarchy. This Orleanist Monarchy was ruled by Louis Philippe l, Philippe l boosted the pace of Industrialization. “Levasseur states that 578 million francs were spent on the highways in Louis Philippe’s reign” (Henderson, W.O. 1961, pg109)
Philippe l funded the construction of roads, bridges, 2,000 km of canal including the Saint Quentin but the most significant build was the railway. On 1847, railway lines connecting the capital Paris to Le Havre, Lille, Orleans came in to existence, this stimulated the Iron industry as wider regions was supplied by manufacturers.
The population in Paris increased as peasants and village artisans came flooding in from the over populated countryside. These migrants were residing in cheap ‘garnis’ a furnished hotel room in central and eastern Paris. But “Despite the emergence of La Chapelle locomotive works, Paris remained a pre industrial city, offering little factory employment” (Magraw,R., 1986 pg. 93), the decline of economy and the lack of a sustainable government, inevitably lead to Prostitutions and crimes, accompanied by the downturn of the housing, sewage and water supply.
As photograph by Charles Marville of Rue De La Raine Blanche, that state of the living environment in Paris is illustrated. The deteriorating houses that were not uniformed and looked filthy, the width of rugged roads that did not accommodate people through the absence of pavements and streetlights is how formidable living in Paris was. To top it all, the dissemination of epidemic derived from the living condition due to the lack of sanitations, as the trough that carried all the waste did not end up in the cesspool.
“Structural unemployment and cyclical crises drove the immiserated masses into endemic criminality, equated with imminent social revolution by terrified bourgeois” (Magraw, R., 1986, pg. 93)
‘Bourgeois’ or the middle class settled in the west of Paris, away from the East. They lived in spacious ‘faubourgs’ or suburbs to escape the revolting stench of open sewers and dumps of popular quartiers that was manifested with diseases such as cholera.
Although Louis Philippe’s constructions contributed to the economy of France, the condition of the eastern part of Paris for instance where the working class were residing did not seem fundamental enough for an enhancement of the living environment.
The very first urban planning of Ile de France occurred during the second empire, in the reigns of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte or Napoleon lll in 1851. Extensive transformation was already in the mind of Napoleon due to the loss of development in Paris after the Industrial revolution, in contrast with other European areas.
In 1853, Baron George Haussmann, which was Napoleon’s Prefect of Seine, was elected by Napoleon himself to be held responsible for the reconstruction of Paris. “without a precedent in the world, except for the rebuilding of major towns practically destroyed by some disaster,” (Jordan, P, pg. 92) , the imprinting of an intended modern era within a medieval city …show more content…
commenced.
The totalitarian approach of Napoleon, whom had no training in Art nor was his trustee- Haussmann an architect nor an urban planner but both consolidated with a neoclassical metropolis end result. Haussmann was more concerned with the aesthetic beauty of the redevelopment, although he did consider the practicality of his intended ‘grandeur’ vision. The road system, which appeared to be the most significant build through its unification of districts to Paris was shaped as if a geometric grid, it runs from north to south and east to west. 165 km of new roads were constructed, all have widths that varied from 30 to 120 meters- illustrated by the 12 avenues that meets in the boulevard of ‘Place de l’Etoile’ known as Place Charles de Gaulle.
The widening of roads caused demolition of buildings, although it did resulted in to the efficiency to travel to significant districts; it also facilitated prevention of diseases from crammed streets, the ascension of buildings that could accommodate the growing population of Paris through its conjuring redevelopment. These buildings were undoubtedly uniformed, with the façade as the most prestige, each building had to be roughly the same height and style, with the same coloured stone and topped with meticulous balconies.
These buildings imposed social hierarchy to which the second floor or “estage noble” was for the wealthy as elevators were non-existent during the time and convenience is unceasingly inflicted upon to those that had money. The second floor retained an aristocratic setting with high ceilings that contained bedrooms that featured ornamented balconies. While the higher floors had low ceilings and the placement of balconies were dependent on the architect of the building. The floor was facilitated with a bathroom that is shared amongst the occupants and some had featured a private stair well towards the kitchen as these floors occupied by the servants of the nobles.
To top it up, Geometric aesthetic was continued through the plantation of chestnut trees on the newly added pavements. The addition of greenery did not just end with the chestnut trees, 4 major parks came in to existence such as the Bois de Vincennes- the largest public park in the city.
Haussmann tied the urban development with an opera house with Palace Garnier that required 12,000 square metres of land to be cleared. For its construction, a competition was held to choose the righteous architect that Charles Garnier won.
The glorious Garnier opera house is the home of the Paris Opera. Its rich ornamented décor, its multiple columns and bronzed busts and statues, as stated by Garnier that it is in the style of “Napoleon Trois”. After all Haussmann’s effort setting up a civilised town while injecting the grandiosity through his neoclassical utopian architecture, a great deal of fortune were made however, Haussmann was not better of financially when he left.
He was constantly verbally attacked with fictitious accusations on the media. Evidently through the caricature created by H.Mailly, with the word “voleur” on branding Haussmann’s forehead, meaning thief hinting on expropriated estates. The feeling of hatred from some was inevitable as, “He had laid violent hands on the city. He drew lines on the first accurate map of Paris, which he had ordered made, obliterating buildings, neighbourhoods, streets, and gardens, not to mention historical sites like the massacre in the rue Transnonain…” (371, Epilogue
Jordan.P.D)
His bureaucratic power that was imposed by Napolleon lll led a man and his vision dictate order, regulation and circulation of the city to Haussman’s Perfection- which to say Perfection is a subjective matter. But the destruction he had caused had been replaced, replaced with qualities that benefitted a mass of Parisians.
In conclusion, the city of Paris was not extensively developed until the power was bestowed upon Napoleon lll. Although Louis Philippe left his imprint through his large-scale constructions specifically in the area of transportation, in hope to make better of France, Paris was not fully transformed- not when the working class were in that poor state of living conditions.
Napoleon up lifted Paris’ aesthetics as well as its reputation, the repercussion of his totalitarian approach made Paris a safe and proclaimed its neoclassical architecture.
Although, Haussmanization left some Parisians devastated with the demolition of some of the old medieval Paris that got in the way of his vision, it shows no sentimentality from Haussmann. He did however allowed what’s left of the medieval Paris to co exist with his build.
Haussmann and Napoleon lll’s overall act may be seen as a dictatorial plan, with neither precedent nor query from the Parisian on how they wanted to live. The aftermath of both their vision is arguably a utilitarian approach to some extent but the end result was beneficial. The addition of Parks bringing fresh air, relieves what once a polluted and filthy city, the roads that were widened allowed efficiency in terms of consolidating districts to Paris that were once distinctive, it promoted the prevention of diseases as the sanitation were up to standard and the buildings although conforms a social diversity, it was a transition from the old and dirty buildings, it is now more inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Bibliography:
Websites:
IMAGES: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8d/2c/ee/8d2ceeff539eae7337bcdb357822852e.jpg (Accessed at: 12/01/16)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newcomen_thomas.shtml (Accessed at 14/01/16) http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/architecture/Haussmanns-Architectural-Paris.html http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Paris-Labors-Baron-Haussman/dp/0029165318 http://www.museumofthecity.org/project/haussmann-and-revival-of-paris/ http://www.veranijveld.com/rebuilding-paris-the-work-of-haussmann.html
• History of Europe. Frassetto Michael.
Available at: http://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/Revolution-and-the-growth-of-industrial-society-1789-1914
(Accessed at: 03/01/16)
• Estevan Alvarado. Barron Haussmann and the modernisation of Paris Available at: http://www.museumofthecity.org/project/haussmann-and-revival-of-paris/ (Accessed at: 15/01/16)
• Haussmann and the buildings of Paris- France. Horn C. Urban Planet Info
Available at: http://urbanplanet.info/urbanism/the-haussmann-style-2/
(Accessed at: 03/01/16)
Books:
Magraw.R. France, 1815-1914: The Bourgeois Century https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GyNxcvPr7i4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false (pg 91)
Industrial Revolution on the Continent: Germany, France, Russia 1800-1914 (W.O. Henderson. Frank Cass & CO LTD https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2U_-AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=first+railway+saint+etienne+to+andrezieux&source=bl&ots=VeVpCnqCWz&sig=lTlk5beQHA29Z2CSsfuk5kqHgec&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj25eL3wafKAhXCtBoKHRtWCEoQ6AEIMTAD#v=onepage&q=first%20railway%20saint%20etienne%20to%20andrezieux&f=false (pg110)
Tranforming Paris The Life and Labors of Baron Haussmann by David P. Jordan
1760-1820
During the industrial revolution in Western Europe, the shift from agrarian to industrialised and urban society was led by Britain. Britain, a powerful empire was consistent in making new scientific discoveries that led to the boom of their economy, specifically the textile industry. The invention of machineries such as the ‘flying shuttle’ that enabled more than 1 weaver to do the work of 2 increased the production of clothing that accommodated the demands of the increasing population of Britain. The textile industry had embraced the technology that lead to the construction of further factories that produced more clothes therefore …show more content…
accompanied by massive profits. Thomas Newcomen, made a significant contribution through inventing an atmospheric steam engine that enabled mines to be drained of water
Deferment by the French revolution and Napoleonic Wars, France was in the middle of a slump, which had started on 1827. France did eventually follow through among with other Western European countries that“… worked hard to imitate British technologies” (Frasetto. M, 2015, para. 8) .
On 1830-1848, France was under the reign of the July Monarchy, also known as the Bourgeois Monarchy. This Orleanist Monarchy was ruled by Louis Philippe l, Philippe l boosted the pace of Industrialization. “Levasseur states that 578 million francs were spent on the highways in Louis Philippe’s reign” (Henderson, W.O. 1961, pg109)
Philippe l funded the construction of roads, bridges, 2,000 km of canal including the Saint Quentin but the most significant build was the railway. On 1847, railway lines connecting the capital Paris to Le Havre, Lille, Orleans came in to existence, this stimulated the Iron industry as wider regions was supplied by manufacturers.
The population in Paris increased as peasants and village artisans came flooding in from the over populated countryside. These migrants were residing in cheap ‘garnis’ a furnished hotel room in central and eastern Paris. But “Despite the emergence of La Chapelle locomotive works, Paris remained a pre industrial city, offering little factory employment” (Magraw,R., 1986 pg. 93), the decline of economy and the lack of a sustainable government, inevitably lead to Prostitutions and crimes, accompanied by the downturn of the housing, sewage and water supply.
As photograph by Charles Marville of Rue De La Raine Blanche, that state of the living environment in Paris is illustrated. The deteriorating houses that were not uniformed and looked filthy, the width of rugged roads that did not accommodate people through the absence of pavements and streetlights is how formidable living in Paris was. To top it all, the dissemination of epidemic derived from the living condition due to the lack of sanitations, as the trough that carried all the waste did not end up in the cesspool.
“Structural unemployment and cyclical crises drove the immiserated masses into endemic criminality, equated with imminent social revolution by terrified bourgeois” (Magraw, R., 1986, pg. 93)
‘Bourgeois’ or the middle class settled in the west of Paris, away from the East. They lived in spacious ‘faubourgs’ or suburbs to escape the revolting stench of open sewers and dumps of popular quartiers that was manifested with diseases such as cholera.
Although Louis Philippe’s constructions contributed to the economy of France, the condition of the eastern part of Paris for instance where the working class were residing did not seem fundamental enough for an enhancement of the living environment.
The very first urban planning of Ile de France occurred during the second empire, in the reigns of Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte or Napoleon lll in 1851. Extensive transformation was already in the mind of Napoleon due to the loss of development in Paris after the Industrial revolution, in contrast with other European areas.
In 1853, Baron George Haussmann, which was Napoleon’s Prefect of Seine, was elected by Napoleon himself to be held responsible for the reconstruction of Paris. “without a precedent in the world, except for the rebuilding of major towns practically destroyed by some disaster,” (Jordan, P, pg. 92) , the imprinting of an intended modern era within a medieval city …show more content…
commenced.
The totalitarian approach of Napoleon, whom had no training in Art nor was his trustee- Haussmann an architect nor an urban planner but both consolidated with a neoclassical metropolis end result. Haussmann was more concerned with the aesthetic beauty of the redevelopment, although he did consider the practicality of his intended ‘grandeur’ vision. The road system, which appeared to be the most significant build through its unification of districts to Paris was shaped as if a geometric grid, it runs from north to south and east to west. 165 km of new roads were constructed, all have widths that varied from 30 to 120 meters- illustrated by the 12 avenues that meets in the boulevard of ‘Place de l’Etoile’ known as Place Charles de Gaulle.
The widening of roads caused demolition of buildings, although it did resulted in to the efficiency to travel to significant districts; it also facilitated prevention of diseases from crammed streets, the ascension of buildings that could accommodate the growing population of Paris through its conjuring redevelopment. These buildings were undoubtedly uniformed, with the façade as the most prestige, each building had to be roughly the same height and style, with the same coloured stone and topped with meticulous balconies.
These buildings imposed social hierarchy to which the second floor or “estage noble” was for the wealthy as elevators were non-existent during the time and convenience is unceasingly inflicted upon to those that had money. The second floor retained an aristocratic setting with high ceilings that contained bedrooms that featured ornamented balconies. While the higher floors had low ceilings and the placement of balconies were dependent on the architect of the building. The floor was facilitated with a bathroom that is shared amongst the occupants and some had featured a private stair well towards the kitchen as these floors occupied by the servants of the nobles.
To top it up, Geometric aesthetic was continued through the plantation of chestnut trees on the newly added pavements. The addition of greenery did not just end with the chestnut trees, 4 major parks came in to existence such as the Bois de Vincennes- the largest public park in the city.
Haussmann tied the urban development with an opera house with Palace Garnier that required 12,000 square metres of land to be cleared. For its construction, a competition was held to choose the righteous architect that Charles Garnier won.
The glorious Garnier opera house is the home of the Paris Opera. Its rich ornamented décor, its multiple columns and bronzed busts and statues, as stated by Garnier that it is in the style of “Napoleon Trois”. After all Haussmann’s effort setting up a civilised town while injecting the grandiosity through his neoclassical utopian architecture, a great deal of fortune were made however, Haussmann was not better of financially when he left.
He was constantly verbally attacked with fictitious accusations on the media. Evidently through the caricature created by H.Mailly, with the word “voleur” on branding Haussmann’s forehead, meaning thief hinting on expropriated estates. The feeling of hatred from some was inevitable as, “He had laid violent hands on the city. He drew lines on the first accurate map of Paris, which he had ordered made, obliterating buildings, neighbourhoods, streets, and gardens, not to mention historical sites like the massacre in the rue Transnonain…” (371, Epilogue
Jordan.P.D)
His bureaucratic power that was imposed by Napolleon lll led a man and his vision dictate order, regulation and circulation of the city to Haussman’s Perfection- which to say Perfection is a subjective matter. But the destruction he had caused had been replaced, replaced with qualities that benefitted a mass of Parisians.
In conclusion, the city of Paris was not extensively developed until the power was bestowed upon Napoleon lll. Although Louis Philippe left his imprint through his large-scale constructions specifically in the area of transportation, in hope to make better of France, Paris was not fully transformed- not when the working class were in that poor state of living conditions.
Napoleon up lifted Paris’ aesthetics as well as its reputation, the repercussion of his totalitarian approach made Paris a safe and proclaimed its neoclassical architecture.
Although, Haussmanization left some Parisians devastated with the demolition of some of the old medieval Paris that got in the way of his vision, it shows no sentimentality from Haussmann. He did however allowed what’s left of the medieval Paris to co exist with his build.
Haussmann and Napoleon lll’s overall act may be seen as a dictatorial plan, with neither precedent nor query from the Parisian on how they wanted to live. The aftermath of both their vision is arguably a utilitarian approach to some extent but the end result was beneficial. The addition of Parks bringing fresh air, relieves what once a polluted and filthy city, the roads that were widened allowed efficiency in terms of consolidating districts to Paris that were once distinctive, it promoted the prevention of diseases as the sanitation were up to standard and the buildings although conforms a social diversity, it was a transition from the old and dirty buildings, it is now more inviting and aesthetically pleasing.
Bibliography:
Websites:
IMAGES: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/236x/8d/2c/ee/8d2ceeff539eae7337bcdb357822852e.jpg (Accessed at: 12/01/16)
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/newcomen_thomas.shtml (Accessed at 14/01/16) http://www.arthistoryarchive.com/arthistory/architecture/Haussmanns-Architectural-Paris.html http://www.amazon.com/Transforming-Paris-Labors-Baron-Haussman/dp/0029165318 http://www.museumofthecity.org/project/haussmann-and-revival-of-paris/ http://www.veranijveld.com/rebuilding-paris-the-work-of-haussmann.html
• History of Europe. Frassetto Michael.
Available at: http://www.britannica.com/topic/history-of-Europe/Revolution-and-the-growth-of-industrial-society-1789-1914
(Accessed at: 03/01/16)
• Estevan Alvarado. Barron Haussmann and the modernisation of Paris Available at: http://www.museumofthecity.org/project/haussmann-and-revival-of-paris/ (Accessed at: 15/01/16)
• Haussmann and the buildings of Paris- France. Horn C. Urban Planet Info
Available at: http://urbanplanet.info/urbanism/the-haussmann-style-2/
(Accessed at: 03/01/16)
Books:
Magraw.R. France, 1815-1914: The Bourgeois Century https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=GyNxcvPr7i4C&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_ge_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q&f=false (pg 91)
Industrial Revolution on the Continent: Germany, France, Russia 1800-1914 (W.O. Henderson. Frank Cass & CO LTD https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=2U_-AQAAQBAJ&pg=PA110&lpg=PA110&dq=first+railway+saint+etienne+to+andrezieux&source=bl&ots=VeVpCnqCWz&sig=lTlk5beQHA29Z2CSsfuk5kqHgec&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj25eL3wafKAhXCtBoKHRtWCEoQ6AEIMTAD#v=onepage&q=first%20railway%20saint%20etienne%20to%20andrezieux&f=false (pg110)
Tranforming Paris The Life and Labors of Baron Haussmann by David P. Jordan