Paris, capital of modernity2003

"Paris has long been one of the most influential cities in the world, but it was during the days of the "Second Empire" that the city became the template for modernity as we have come to know it. In the period between the failed revolutions of 1848 and 1871, Paris underwent a stunning transformation. Baron Hausmann, the city's legendary prefect, orchestrated the physical makeover of Paris, replacing the city's medieval plan with the grand boulevards that dominate the city to this day. Just as important, the era saw both the rise of a new form of capitalism dominated by high finance and the emergence of modern consumer culture. The sweeping social and physical changes elicited the novel cultural response of "modernism," but also further divided the city along class lines. The result was the...