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.