La Belle Epoque [1871-1914]: “The Beautiful Era” Ms. Susan M. Pojer Horace Greeley HS Chappaqua, NY Adapted by Reiner Kolodinski Glendale HS, Glendale CA

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch Materialism / Consumerism Higher standard of living Development “zones” Inner Zone  Br, Fr, Ger, Belg, No. It,W. Austria Outer Zone  Ire., Iberian Pen., most of Italy, Europe east of Ger. Underdeveloped Zone  Afro-Asia

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch Increased European Population Increased public education literacy - Realism, Sci-Fi, Naturalism, Modernism, magazines, news Redesign / Growth of Cities - Urban / Suburban Lifestyle Migration from Europe 1850-1940  60 million left Europe Went to  US, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Australia/ New Zealand

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 6. “Second” Industrial Revolution Steam  electricity Internal combustion & diesel engines. Cars, planes, submarines. Britain  “The World’s Industrial Workshop” Corporations  limited liability of investments. Mass production… cheaper goods

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 7. Free Trade [esp. in England] 8. World Markets [Global Economy, Part II] 9. Advance of Democracy Extension of the vote (franchise) to the working class. Creating a “welfare state.”

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 10. The Appeal of Socialism By the 1880s, most socialist parties were Marxist based: Ger. & Fr. Not very successful in England. Why? Reforms gained by working class

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 11. Faith in Science Alone… Science at the core of industrialization. “New Wonders” of daily life. Charles Darwin (Challenged by T.H. Huxley) Origin of Species [1859], Descent of Man [1871] “survival of the fittest” + “natural selection” “Social Darwinism”  Herbert Spencer Eugenics = Race Theory… nationalist roots? Newtonian Science (fixed laws) turned on its head Einstein  “Theory of Relativity”  nature & energy were separate & distinct. Max Planck  Quantum Physics

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 12. Social Sciences established Professionalization of “new” sciences [anthropology, archeaology,etc.] Psychology Ivan Pavlov  conditioned responses Sigmund Freud  psychoanalysis The Interpretation of Dreams [1900] The role of the unconscious [the id, ego, super ego].

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 13. Social Sciences (cont’d) Sociology Max Weber Bureaucratization = reality of modern life Protestant Work Ethic.. Puritanism Emile Durkheim / Georges Sorel Collective Behavior… Society influences behavior

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 14. New Trends in Philosophy Agnosticism: God MAY exist, no proof Positivism: Human Development (Comte) Theological = Divine explanation Metaphysical = Natural explanation Positive = Scientifically proven Existentialism (Sören Kierkegaard) Existence is unique, unexplainable Choice + responsibility

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 14. Philosophy (cont’d) Nihilism: Nothing is knowable or true Friedrich Nietzsche Übermensch  “Super Man” Anti-Christian , anti-democracy Irrationality, instinct, ecstasy, heroism, strength, pride

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 15. Internal Religious Struggles Skepticism… Is Bible true? Modernism vs. Fundamentalism Secularism > Separation of Church / State Bismarck Kulturkampf…State over Church GB + F>> education Roman Catholic Church 1st Vatican Council (Pius IX) = papal infallibility Leo XIII = Faith + Reason > Thomas Aquinas / Rerum Novarum = marriage, education, property Islamic Resistance > Mahdism, Wahhabism

Characteristics of La Belle Epoch 16. Anti-Semitism Dreyfus Affair Theodore Herzl  Der Judenstaat [The Jewish State], 1896 “Father of Modern Zionism” 17. Women’s Movement Emmeline Pankhurst > Suffrage Anti-feminism = traditional, nurture (misogynism?) New Feminism: Legal / social / sexual = Josephine Butler / Auguste Ficke