History: Paris, Vienna & Berlin: 3 Cities in 19th Century Europe

A look at the history of three important capital cities in Europe in the 19th century. In Paris, we’ll look at the aftermath of the Revolution of 1789, beginning with Napoleon's influence, and see how the restoration of the monarchy failed to eradicate discontent, leading to more revolutions and rebellions in the city in the 19th century. We’ll also examine Haussmann’s massive town-planning project that made Paris what it is today, the lives of some of the notorious Courtesans, and works by great artists who documented the events and scenes of the time. Moving to Vienna, we’ll see how the monarchy there was much more stable but that its reliance on tradition and conservative values seemed in conflict with modernising influences. We’ll see how Vienna began the 19th century as arguably the most important European capital, where the peace conference for the whole of Europe was held following the Napoleonic wars, but also how it found its position increasingly under threat from Berlin, which sought to replace it as capital of the German nation. Both cities saw revolutions in 1848 which brought them together in common cause, as their political leaderships tried to placate the people by bringing in more liberal constitutions, only to backtrack and return to more traditional forms of government. We’ll also look at the development of the Ringstrasse, influenced in part by Haussmann’s redesign of Paris, and the massive migration to the city as a result of large-scale industrialisation