Imperator
Justiciarius
Augustus
Fexillarius
Basileus
Generalissimus
Caesares
Honestior
Dominus
Imperator
Epistrategus
Justiciarius
The Belle Époque
The Belle Époque was a period of European history that lasted roughly from the late 19th century to the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It was characterized by optimism, peace, prosperity, and cultural and artistic flourishing.
The Belle Époque was an era of peace and plenty between wars. The French expression Belle Époque was used in retrospect after the horrors of World War One — a term of nostalgia for a simpler time of peace, prosperity, and progress.
It was a global phenomenon. Similar periods of economic growth were experienced in Britain during the late Victorian and Edwardian eras, in Germany under Kaiser Wilhelm I and II during the German Reich, in Russia under Alexander III and Nicholas II, in the United States in a period called the Gilded Age, and in Mexico during the Porfiriato.
It was an era of huge urban population growth. In the 39 years preceding 1911, the population of Paris grew by 64%. By the end of the Belle Époque, the population of Paris was higher than it is today. New York’s population increased by 2 1/2 times from 1870 to 1900.
The Belle Époque was an era of progress and prosperity. With the humiliating defeat in the Franco-Prussian war a distant memory, the Paris Expositions of 1878, 1889 and 1900 celebrated France’s recovery. At the Exposition of 1878, the gardens of the Trocadéro displayed the full-size head of the Statue of Liberty, before the statue was completed and shipped to New York. Gustave Eiffel’s thousand-foot tower was symbolic of just how far France had come. It was the tallest manmade structure in the world and stood at the entrance to a showcase of French ingenuity and engineering mastery. An equally significant building was the Machinery Hall. At 111 meters (364 ft), it spanned the longest interior space in the world at the time.
It was an era of cultural exuberance. Marked by the red windmill on its roof, the Moulin Rouge is considered the spiritual birthplace of the modern version of the can-can dance. Befitting the decadence of the times, the dance was considered scandalous and there were even attempts to repress it. Women wore pantalettes, which could be unintentionally revealing. The club’s decor still holds the romance of fin de siècle (end of the century) France.
It was an era of rich and poor. Paris was both the richest and poorest city in France. An 1882 study of Parisians concluded that 27% of Parisians were upper- or middle-class while 73% were poor. During America’s Gilded Age, the wealthiest 2% of American households owned more than a third of the nation’s wealth, while the top 10% owned roughly three quarters.
It was an era of scientific and technological advancement. The second wave of the industrial revolution seized the world. Along came cameras, electric lights, the telephone, the gramophone, the automobile, and the dawn of air travel.
An era of art and architecture. Although the architecture of the Belle Époque combined elements from several styles, the predominant architectural style was Art Nouveau. A reaction to the academic influence of the Académie des Beaux-Arts, Art Nouveau (“new art”) was inspired by the natural forms and structures of flowers, plants, and curved lines. Architects tried to harmonize with the natural environment.
The Belle Époque was an era of fashion. Jeanne Paquin was one of several fashion designers of the Belle Époque. She became known for her publicity stunts including sending her models to the races and the opera to get her designs noticed.
It was an era of Imperialism. The “Scramble for Africa” was a race by European powers to colonize as much of Africa as possible in the latter part of the 19th century. African land under European control went from 10% in 1870 to 90% in 1914.
The Belle Époque was a beautiful era, but as Mark Twain described the Gilded Age, it was a thin veneer hiding systemic problems—discontent among the working classes, political tensions between nation states, militarism, imperialism, and to top it all, an unyielding arms race that by 1914 was a bubble about to burst. All that was needed was a trigger event.
During the Belle Époque, there were significant changes in the lives of royalty and aristocracy. Many of these changes were driven by the rise of industrialization and the emergence of a new, wealthy middle class. One major change was the decline of the political power of the aristocracy. In many European countries, political power shifted from the aristocracy to the newly emerging middle class. As a result, many aristocrats focused more on their social status and cultural pursuits rather than politics.
Another change was the increasing democratization of society, which challenged the traditional privileges of the aristocracy. The rise of universal suffrage, the growth of trade unions, and the emergence of socialist and anarchist movements put pressure on the aristocracy to relinquish some of their power and privileges.
The aristocracy continued to play an important role in society during the Belle Époque. They remained wealthy and influential, and continued to patronize the arts and support cultural institutions. They also continued to socialize in exclusive circles and maintain their elite status.
The royalty, on the other hand, faced more significant challenges during the Belle Époque. Many European monarchies were forced to adapt to the changing political landscape and adopt more democratic forms of government. The British monarchy, for example, became a constitutional monarchy in the late 19th century, with the monarch's power largely limited to symbolic and ceremonial duties.
The royalty continued to play an important role in society during the Belle Époque. They remained symbols of national identity and prestige, and continued to patronize the arts and support cultural institutions. They also continued to socialize in exclusive circles and maintain their elite status, even as their political power declined.
First of all, the aristocracy wanted to hold on to the status they felt rightfully entitled to. The product of an age of progress that had transformed what were once rural societies into modern industrial nations through unprecedented economic, territorial, industrial, and population expansions, the aristocracy wanted to make sure that their privileged position remained intact. On the one hand, the old aristocracy of birth and inheritance was being replaced by a new one of wealth and economic power. The intensely class-conscious long-established aristocracy
regarded the newly rich as “vulgar”. On the other hand, the aristocracy also felt threatened by the hordes of poor people who had left the countryside to man the factories and were about to declare class warfare. Living in isolation from the rest of society, the elite indulged in every kind of privilege, luxury and extravagance as living proof that they were above the rest.
Second, the rich believed that because modern civilization was moving towards an inevitable collapse due to society’s moral deterioration they were obligated to lead by example. They regarded the poor as “degenerates” who, because they were inferior, could not control their animal-like passions, and who, if not kept in their place, would bring about universal moral ruin. The best way, or so they thought, of remaining in control was to preserve appearances by living by a very strict, rigid code of behavior. The overriding consideration was to “put up a front”
so that their inappropriate behavior of the upper classes would not be revealed to the lower classes. Strictness was maintained on every level, no matter what was going on beneath the surface. Above all, one was not allowed to exhibit feelings. Thus, for the sake of maintaining control, morality was authoritarian and taboo-ridden.
Although the rich of every powerful country saw themselves as rightful leaders who, because of their position, were entitled to live a life of leisure and extravagant consumption, their nationalities defined for them the kind of lifestyle that they would pursue. For instance, the French elite lived their lives in the pursuit of beauty and culture, for, after all, Paris was the fashion capital of the world. Because they thought of themselves as the leading
purveyors of civilization, the French demanded the highest degree of refinement in everything that they experienced—beautiful women, fine dining, couture, and all of the fine arts. Their days were spent in luxurious splendor going to fine restaurants, the races, and the theater in order to be seen by the rest of society. The British elite, on the other hand, were too puritanical to focus their lives on sensual enjoyment. Instead, the English were interested in extending their dominance through the British Empire. In fact, during this time in history their dominion extended to over one fourth of the land and the population of the earth. England colonized Canada, Australia, India as well as much of Africa and Asia. In the United States, the Americans were preoccupied with making money. Because after the Civil War, America focused on expanding to the West and building the infrastructure for the whole country, great fortunes were made. But lacking an aristocracy, rich Americans looked to Europe to marry their daughters off to the highest titles available. Many young American women were sent to Europe in order to socially validate their parent’s fortunes. Germany, which had recently become a unified nation, focused its manpower and capital on becoming the most technologically-advanced country in the world. What Germany lacked was the acknowledgement of their mastery by other nations, and so its reaction was to show off how capable they were. Ultimately, Germany’s need for validation would be one of the causes of World War I.
Finally, the Belle Époque came to an end with the outbreak of World War I, when the technological advances of the age had been applied to the construction of destructive weaponry that would take the lives of more than ten million people and reshape the map of Europe. Whereas on the surface it appeared that la belle époque was a period defined by harmony, peace, and hope, there was, in fact, a good deal of tension concealed beneath the surface calm caused by nationalism, colonialism, and a
series of alliances between European nations. Although nationalism had brought people to unity through the forging of national identity, it also gave rise to competition between nations as well as a sense of superiority.
While colonialism had opened the markets of the world to Europe, at the same time it created a sense of resentment and bitterness between competing nations. Finally, nationalism and colonialism would lead many European nations to create alliances amongst themselves. By the time that Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated in Sarajevo by a group of Serbian terrorists, it was too late. Even though Kaiser Wilhelm and King George V were first cousins, they were unable to stop the war because the former had signed a treaty with the Austro-
Hungarian Empire and the latter, with Russia. The old order of the elite met its final blow when the young from all the classes died side by side in the trenches of World War I. In the end, death was the great leveler.
This site talks about the monarchs and aristocrats of that era. We took 1904 as a reference point.
1904 was a year of significant political, cultural, and scientific developments in Europe and around the world. Many countries were still recovering from the effects of the industrial revolution and the rapid changes it had brought about. Some of the major events that took place in 1904 include the Russo-Japanese War, the establishment of the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France, and the founding of the International Olympic Committee. In the arts, James Joyce published his first book, Picasso began his Blue Period, and the Ford Motor Company began mass-producing automobiles. Overall, 1904 was a year of contrasts and transitions, as Europe and the world continued to undergo rapid changes in the early 20th century.
See what came of it. We really hope that you will like our project and the work of the team!