Talk:Belle Époque
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
[edit] Periodization and Location
The article read, "La Belle Époque, or 'beautiful era', was a period in France's history that began during the late 19th century and lasted until World War I. Occurring at the midpoint of the Third Republic, the Belle Époque..."
I changed this to reflect that fact that the Belle Époque is considered by many people to have occurred throughout Europe, not just in France. In fact, the German-language Wikipedia article on the La Belle Époque refers to it as a European phenomenon. So, the Germans see it as relevant to them, as well.
As for the periodization, the German-language Wikipedia article on the the Belle Époque specifically states that it lasted from 1885 to 1914. One might also consider the starting point to be around 1890, which would coincide with the Fin de siècle. Either way, it would not be really at the midpoint of the Third Republic. The Third Republic lasted from 1871 to 1940. If the Belle Époque ended in 1914, and if it represents the true middle years of the Third Republic, it would have begun in 1896, and that's too late. So, I changed the phrasing slightly to reflect that it began after the initial years of the French Third Republic, but I didn't state expressly when. Poldy Bloom 07:47, 16 February 2007 (UTC)
The Belle Époque as an era of peace, prosperity, and cultural innovation took place all over Europe, not just in France. This article should reflect the European-ness of the era. After all, it talks about Belle Époque art and music in countries other than France. For information that focuses on solely on military, political, and economic affairs in France, please refer to or edit French Third Republic. Poldy Bloom 04:49, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Factual inaccuracies
Someone wrote, "In the Belle Epoque, France was one of the first countries in the world to let all men have the right to vote, in 1871. In 1905, it granted suffrage to Blacks, Asians, and Jews."
This is not correct. Universal suffrage (allowing all men to vote) was adopted in 1792 during the French Revolution and readopted by the Second Republic in 1848. Napoleon III re-readopted it in 1852. Church and state were formally, definitively separated in 1905. Race and religion did not determine voting status in pre-universal suffrage France. Wealth did. Jews could vote as early as 1791 if they met the property/tax qualifications. Free black Frenchmen could vote, as well. Poldy Bloom 04:49, 23 March 2007 (UTC)
- Your edits were an improvement, and I think you were correct in your reversions, as well as your reasons. I have reverted information which focused only on France, not including the more inclusive interpretation of 'Belle Epoque'--also, much of the reverted info was suspect at best. JNW 02:03, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
I have greatly expanded the article and reorganized it. The reorganization was undertaken so that the sub-sections reflected the topics mentioned in the introduction (namely politics and the arts broadly construed) and so that the article read more like a proper encyclopedia article, not just a collection of random factoids and tidbits. Also, I do not know much about the history of technology/science. So, if someone else does, please enhance the sub-section on "Science and technology." Poldy Bloom 05:02, 24 March 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Nationalism
The emphasis on class-based identities I think ignores the important rising nationalism in this period, which would come to play an important role in this period. This was an important factor in the artistic and intellectual world, especially in areas with restive minorities such as Britian (the Irish), and the Astro-Hungarian Empire (a whole lot of peoples). Other intellectual fashions popular in this time should be addressed I think, such as the rise of nihilism. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 72.82.227.246 (talk) 14:53, 2 September 2007 (UTC)
