Map of 16th c. Paris

Paris has a long history of being one of the most important and populous cities in Western Europe, but for most of that history it looked very different from today. The medieval city, much of which was still evident in the nineteenth century, was a warren of narrow, twisting streets and neighborhoods that were in many respects their own miniature cities. The shape of Paris, with its multiple urban identities, created an environment that helped determine some of the most momentous events in French history, such as the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre, the Fronde, the Revolution, and the Commune.

This link is to a zoomable map of Paris as it was in the mid-sixteenth century. You will recognize many of the iconic locales (the Ile Saint Louis, Montmartre) but you will also see that Paris was still a compact city without the urban sprawl that has consumed so much of the countryside in modern times.

World War I Postcards

These postcards are evidence of how modern technologies of photography and printing were absorbed into the culture of France at war. There is almost a naiveté to them as they overlook the real horrors of life on the front. Some of them are typical of the nationalist sentiments of the time, as well as how the Alsace issue was still part of the French conscience more than four decades after the Franco-Prussian War.

18th c. Androids

This clip from the Versailles Museum is about an animatronic model believed to be Marie Antoinette playing the dulcimer. It is a masterwork of 18th c engineering that employed several cutting edge technologies of the time. On one hand is an example of mechanical experimentation during the Enlightenment and on the cusp of the Industrial Revolution. On the other it shows how Old Regime patronage continued to influence the development of the sciences and technology during the old regime. This model was presented at the court of Versailles, and the subject was meant to appeal to the royal family (it worked, Marie Antoinette purchased the model and gifted it to the Academy of the Sciences).

Directions: Answer 2 of the following questions in essay form using the same style guidelines as for the research paper. An adequate answer will be 4 pages minimum. Your grade will be based on how well your response uses evidence from the assigned readings. Exams will be due between noon and 1pm on Friday of Finals Week at a location TBA (our classroom might be occupied). I will only accept hardcopies; no email attachments please.

1) Describe the social, economic, cultural, and political factors that contributed to the Enlightenment in France. What were some of the new values that came with the Enlightenment? In what ways did the Enlightenment contribute to the Revolution?

2) The central theme of this class has been the development of a sense of "Frenchness" that overrides regional particularism. How did this idea develop over time? What are some of the challenges the French face today in keeping this sense of "Frenchness"?

3) While the French Revolution did not create a political regime that endured until the present, it did establish many social, cultural, and political reforms that have. Discuss how the legacy of the Revolution has endured throughout the numerous changes in government since 1789.

Midterm, Spring 2011

Directions: Answer both questions below in essay form. An adequate answer will be a minimum of 4 pages using the formatting guidelines linked to the syllabus. Your grade will be based on how thorough your responses are and how well they incorporate the material from your reading assignments. You have nearly three weeks to work on these questions, so your essays should evince an appropriate level of effort. You are welcome and encouraged to discuss the questions on this blog.

A) As we discussed at the beginning of the class, France is more of an idea than an inevitable natural entity. Throughout most of its history various forces did more to divide France than unite it. Discuss the various geographic, historical, economic, social, and cultural forces that divided France in the past.

B) In the eleventh century the Capetian dynasty was extremely weak, especially compared to the neighboring English and Ottonian emperors in Germany. Discuss the strategies that the Capetians and their successors the Valois consolidated their authority and established a royal tradition that eventually led to absolutist monarchy.

Booklist for Spring 2011

Below is a list of the assigned texts for History of France in Spring 2011. I STRONGLY recommend that you search online for used copies of these texts. You can save a great amount of money compared to the KU Bookstore.

• Jeremy Popkin, A Short History of the French Revolution
• Jean-Benoit Nadeau and Julie Barlow, Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong
• William Cohen ed., The Transformation of Modern France
• Joseph Strayer, The Albigensian Crusade
• Voltaire, Candide

An Interesting Relic from the Revolution

An anonymous family in Italy is claiming that this gourd once contained a handkerchief that had been soaked in the blood of Louis XVI after his execution in January 1793. Scientists have been able to collect remnants of blood stains from inside the container and much of the DNA evidence determined so far strongly suggests that it is authentic. We know that many of the witnesses of Louis' execution collected blood from the scaffold. Many still believed in the sacred nature of the monarchy and viewed the king as a martyr. Others, like the original owner of this artifact believed that they were taking part in a dramatic historical event and kept the blood as a memento.