Week 8- The Nation and The City

What was the administrative language of the Habsburg Empire in cities?

German was the administrative language, while Lithuanian and Czech were considered peasant dialects.

What notable educational reform took place in Bohemia regarding the language of instruction?

Primary school was conducted in Czech, while high school was in German.

What sparked the beginning of Czech nationalism in Bohemia? What did we start seeing in the city as a result?

Czech protests and the identification of Czechs in the city contributed to the rise of Czech nationalism. We started seeing more traditional Czech Clothing

What significant historical events occurred in 1848 that intensified nationalism in the Austro-Hungarian Empire?

The Revolutions of 1848, also known as the Barricades or The Springtime of the Peoples, catalyzed uprisings.

What was the outcome of the Merging Empires after Revolutions of 1848? (starting in 1867)

• Austria-Hungary aka Austro-Hungarian Empire forms in 1867

• Questions of other nationalities within the empire exists: Czechs, Pols, Slavic speakers 

• Nationalism becomes the political language of the empire

When was the Austro-Hungarian Empire declared?

The Austro-Hungarian Empire was declared in 1867.

What happened in Transylvania in and why did it occur? 1848-49

• New Hungarian policy did not recognize the other linguistic groups and nationalities the way Nationalist wanted to- made Hungarian the official language

• Transylvania: Romanian (Peasant) speakers demanding Romanian national language rights– shocked everybody

  -40,000 people died in ethnic civil war 

What significant development occurred with the creation of the Frankfurt Parliament in 1848?

The parliament consisted of deputies from German states who demanded to unite Germany.

What is the central idea behind the statement: 'Not the nation making the state, but the state making the nation'?

This reflects the process where the existing state structure shapes national identity rather than the grassroots idea of nationhood creating a state.

What transformation occurred in cities due to urbanization according to the second lecture?

There was a significant transition from mass medieval centers, often sites of unrest, to urbanized cities.

What was the impact of demolitions in cities during the urbanization process?

Demolitions disrupted old neighborhoods, preventing the re-establishment of labor relations and sources of unrest.

What transformations did the peoples experience during the shift from mass madeivial centers to urbanized cities?

Transition from Mass medieval centres considered sites of both social unrest and poor health → urbanized cities

• At least 12,000 building knocked down 

• Working poor people relocated from the center to the edges 

• Demolition broke up old neighbourhoods where labour took place, and sources of unrest 

• New wide streets were too wide for barricades to go up, replacing narrow streets

Why were new wide streets considered advantageous for commerce?

They allowed for shops to be built, leading to significant wealth accumulation and profit opportunities for speculators.

What was a significant consequence of the rise of department stores like Au Bon Marche?

They created an international prototype of consumerism, fulfilling bourgeois fantasies of consumption. Small shopkeepers couldn’t keep up and ultimately disappeared.

What was the impact of bicycles on women's liberation in the late 19th century?

Bicycles allowed women greater independence and led to a change in dress styles, promoting liberation from traditional gender roles.

What cultural shifts occurred as a result of urbanization in society? A society of __. What did sociologists study about it?

Emergence of a 'society of strangers' led to anonymity and dislocation, replacing old forms of exchange, relations, and socialization. Sociologists emerging to study “society” instead of “community” 

What are examples of the changes causing this society of strangers. 5 points.

• Zooming through cities to cities with no sense of place 

• Encounter strangers on mass at train stations or at department stores 

• Not long before, many lived in enclosed rural communities but now lived as anonymous individuals amongst strangers, lead to a feeling of dislocation or loss of sense of place

• Sitting in cramped space (bus) but avoiding eye contact because it is an awkward situation

• Metropolitan Underground Railway (precursor to Subway) – huge amounts of people

Who was a prominent figure of intellectual creativity during the fin-de-siècle (end of 19th century) in Vienna?

Sigmund Freud, known as the founder of Psychoanalysis.

What did Sigmund Freud's work 'The Interpretation of Dreams' focus on?

It explored the unconscious mind and repressed desires to better understand human behavior. Rejection of the bourgeois order emerged in 19th century, break free from the passionless, highly gendered society  

What sorts of mass leisure came about during this transformation? 4 points

• Music hall becomes immensely popular as more people can afford it  

• Professional Sports (1863 in England- Professional Football began)  

  -First Modern Olympics in 1896 

  -First Tour de France, 1903– cycling becomes a major hobby, everyone was on bikes  

• Travel business boomed in middle class- travel to sea, abroad via train 

• Photography- Kodak 1, first personal camera. Amateur photography emerged as a major hobby

What formation did the city of Vienna take to avoid revolutions?

• Had a ring road, a wide, circular boulevard built to bring Vienna into modernity, built around the medieval center

• There is no central square, the city is organized in a circular flow so there is not a common point where revolutionaries can gather