A nationalhero in Mexico,wherethestate of Hidalgobearshisname,MiguelHidalgowas a priestandrevolutionaryleaderwho is regarded as thefounder of theMexicanWar of Independencemovement.Influenced by theFrenchRevolution, he launched a revoltagainstSpain in theearly19thcentury.Hidalgoledtherebels to severalearlyvictoriesbutwascaptured,defrocked,andexecuted by firingsquadalongwithotherrevolutionaryleaders in 1811.Whatwasdonewiththeirremains?More…Discuss
BornMarieGouze, de Gougeswas a FrenchauthorwhosefeministwritingsduringtheFrenchRevolutiondemandedthesamerightsforFrenchwomenthatFrenchmenweredemanding. In 1791,alarmedthatthenewconstitutiondidnotaddresswoman’ssuffrage,shewroteDeclaration of theRights of WomanandtheFemaleCitizen, challengingthepractice of maleauthorityandthenotion of male-femaleinequality.Whywassheexecuted by guillotineduringtheReign of Terror?More…Discuss
Thoughlargelyignoredduringhislifetime,Marxwasperhapsone of themostinfluentialfigures in history.Hisideas,particularlythose he expounded in histwomostnotableworks,TheCommunistManifestoandDasKapital, havebecomethecoreintellectualtraditionforcommunismandsocialism,andmanyscholarsconsiderhimthefounder of economichistoryandsociology.Hisphilosophysignificantlyinfluencedcommunistthinkingforthenextcentury.Whatanarchistwashisenemy?More…Discuss
Nostradamus was a French astrologer and physician reputed to have effected remarkable cures during outbreaks of the Black Plague. His book of prophecies, Les Propheties, consists of vaguely phrased, rhymed quatrains grouped into sets of 100, called “Centuries.” Enthusiasts credit Nostradamus with foreseeing the rise of Hitler, the French Revolution, the atomic bomb, and the destruction of the World Trade Center. What reason do skeptics give for dismissing these claims? More…Discuss
Louis XVI was King of France from 1774 to 1792. Shy, dull, and corpulent, he proved unsuited to the task of navigating the complex social and political conflict smoldering in France. His failure to resolve the country’s enormous debt touched off a chain of events that culminated in the outbreak of revolution. In 1792, the monarchy was abolished and Louis tried for treason. Found guilty, he was guillotined on January 21, 1793. What supposedly foiled his attempted escape from France in 1791? More…Discuss
A skilled wax sculptor, Marie Tussaud served as art tutor to Louis XVI’s sister until the French Revolution began. During the Reign of Terror, Tussaud made death masks from heads—often those of her friends—freshly severed by the guillotine. She moved to Britain with her collection of wax models, and, in 1835, established a museum that remains a principal tourist attraction, now known as Madame Tussauds. One of its main attractions is the Chamber of Horrors. What did it originally include? More…Discuss
Just a thought: “Take a full sensorial visit in nature: No, not the tunnel type, meant to exclude senses but one, rather a total immersion in nature: see everything, hear everything, experience everything, without judgement, with the sole purpose of…being in that moment!” -George-B
Hegel was an influential German philosopher who developed the Hegelian dialectic, according to which a thesis, such as “being,” inevitably generates its antithesis, “not-being.” The interaction of the two forms a synthesis, “becoming,” which, in turn, becomes a new thesis that generates an antithesis, and so on. He used the dialectic to explain everything from nature to history, interpreting the French Revolution as a thesis that generated its antithesis, known as what period in French history? More…Discuss
Known as “the Incorruptible” for his emphasis on civic morality, Robespierre became one of the leading figures of the French Revolution. He was an influential member of the Committee of Public Safety, the political body that controlled France during the bloody revolutionary period known as the “Reign of Terror.” However, popular discontent with the committee’s brutal measures soon grew, and Robespierre was guillotined in the coup of 9 Thermidor. What might have been his last words? More…Discuss
Leoš Janáček (1854 – 1928), perhaps more than any other composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Gustav Mahler and Sergey Rahmaninov, represents a puzzling case in point as for the cultural and spiritual seismic shift that took place between the 1870s/’80s and the 1920s. He comes from a world already shaken by the French Revolution and all subsequent revolutions up to 1848, yet still sufficiently alive so to remember the old ways: fairy tales and folk legends, style, distinction, Monarchy, Catholicism. This last quarter of the 19th century was at the same time the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, who indeed fought like a lion in order to ward off the meanwhile 360° onslaught, open and hidden, against the old order and the Catholic Church. However, Janáček, like so many of his generation, was drawn into those false promises of a “new era”, whether pan-Slavic, pantheist, or plain modernist. Still he kept the memories of the old world of his childhood days. His musical oeuvre, especially his folkloristic works, so painfully as well as articulately shows what had been lost – lost forever …
Taken from the CD: “Janáček: Sinfonietta / Lachian Dances / Taras Bulba”, released by NAXOS. Order that CD here: http://www.amazon.com/Jan%C3%A1cek-Si… or from your local CD-shop. _____________________________________
Prise de la Bastille Jean-Pierre Houël (1735-1813) – Bibliothèque nationale de France
The Bastille was a 14th-century fortress that became a notorious state prison in Paris. An angry mob assaulted the Bastille—which had come to symbolize the French monarchy‘s oppression of the people—on July 14, 1789, freeing the political prisoners held there and launching the French Revolution. July 14 has been celebrated since that time in France as Fête Nationale, as well as in French territories in the Pacific, with parades, fireworks and dancing in the streets. In Tahiti and the rest of French Polynesia, it is called Tiurai or Heiva, and is celebrated for most of the month. More…Discuss
Barras was a Provençal nobleman who became disenchanted with the royal regime and joined the French Revolution. When, after the fall of the monarchy, a war dictatorship replaced it, Barras played a key role in overthrowing Maximilien Robespierre and ending the Reign of Terror. Eventually given command of the army of the interior and the police, he suppressed a royalist uprising in 1795 by turning the troops over to a young officer in whose marriage he later played a role. Who was this officer? More…Discuss
Eugen Weidmann, a convicted thief, kidnapper, and murderer, was the last person to be publicly executed in France. After his arrest, Weidmann confessed to murdering five people and was sentenced to death. Shortly thereafter, he was beheaded by guillotine. The “hysterical behavior” of spectators at the event was so scandalous that French PresidentAlbert Lebrun immediately banned all future public executions. Executions by guillotine in France continued in private until what date? More…Discuss
The Jardin des Plantes, the main botanical garden in France, is situated near the left bank of the river Seine in Paris and is home to the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France’s museum of natural history, as well as an elaborate rose garden, numerous hothouses, and a zoo. The museum is now a center for research and education. Although it was founded during the French Revolution, the museum was born out of a medicinal plant garden created by what French monarch in 1635? More…Discuss
During his reign, King Louis XIV moved his court and government offices to Versailles. The palace is one of the largest and most lavish ever built. At a time when mirrors were some of the priciest luxury items to acquire, Louis installed an entire hall of them. The grounds feature fountains, reservoirs, sculptures, temples, grottoes, and even two smaller palaces. Louis’s motive for the move is thought to have been a desire to more closely monitor the nobility. Why did he feel this was necessary? More…Discuss
May 3, known in Poland as Swieto Trzeciego Maja, is a patriotic legal holiday honoring the nation’s first constitution, adopted in 1791. It introduced fundamental changes in the way Poland was governed, based on the ideas of the French Revolution, and represented an attempt to preserve the country’s independence. Although the May 3rd Constitution (as it was called) represented a great advance for the Polish people, it also aroused the anxieties of neighboring countries and eventually led to theSecond Partition two years later. More…Discuss
A handkerchief long thought to be stained with the blood of guillotinedFrench King Louis XVI is likely inauthentic. DNA analysis of the blood on the cloth suggests it most likely belonged to a brown-eyed, average-height person, whereas the king had blue eyes and was quite tall for his time. The genetics also point to French and Italian lineage, while many of Louis XVI’s ancestors came from Germany and Poland. Why then was the handkerchief stored in an elaborately decorated gourd bearing the inscription, “On January 21, Maximilien Bourdaloue dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his decapitation”? One theory is that a fraudster created the fake relic for money. More…Discuss
Daniel François Esprit Auber – Ouverture Gustave III (1833)
Daniel François Esprit Auber portrait (Photo credit: Bergen Public Library)
Daniel François Esprit Auber (29 January 1782 — 12/13 May 1871) was a French composer. Ouverture “Gustave III”, ou “Le bal masqué” Librettist Eugène Scribe (1791-1861) English Chamber Orchestra conducted by Richard Bonynge Paris: E. Troupenas, n.d.(1833). Plate 721. Reprinted: New York: Garland, 1980
The prototype of the witty, cynical diplomat, Talleyrand is exalted by some as a savior of Europe and damned by others as an opportunist or traitor. Undisputed, however, is the Frenchman‘s impressive knack for political survival. He held high office from the ancien régime through the Revolution, Napoleon’s rise and fall, the Restoration, and the July Monarchy. He scored his greatest diplomatic triumphs representing France at the Congress of Vienna. What was one of his worst diplomatic failures? More…Discuss
When I talk of eyes, the stars come out! Whose eyes are they? If they are angels’ eyes, why do they look down here and see good men hurt, and only wink and sparkle all the night?
Leoš Janáček (1854 – 1928), perhaps more than any other composer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including Gustav Mahler and Sergey Rahmaninov, represents a puzzling case in point as for the cultural and spiritual seismic shift that took place between the 1870s/’80s and the 1920s. He comes from a world already shaken by the French Revolution and all subsequent revolutions up to 1848, yet still sufficiently alive so to remember the old ways: fairy tales and folk legends, style, distinction, Monarchy, Catholicism. This last quarter of the 19th century was at the same time the pontificate of Pope Leo XIII, who indeed fought like a lion in order to ward off the meanwhile 360° onslaught, open and hidden, against the old order and the Catholic Church. However, Janáček, like so many of his generation, was drawn into those false promises of a “new era”, whether pan-Slavic, pantheist, or plain modernist. Still he kept the memories of the old world of his childhood days. His musical oeuvre, especially his folkloristic works, so painfully as well as articulately shows what had been lost – lost forever …
Marie Thérèse was a French aristocrat and confidant of Queen Marie Antoinette, who met with members of the National Assembly in Thérèse’s salon. As the French Revolution escalated, Thérèse attempted to stir English support for the monarchy but was soon imprisoned with the queen. After refusing to oppose the monarchy, she was delivered to a bloodthirsty mob that murdered and mutilated her in the September Massacres of 1792. After her head was cut off, it was placed on a pike and brought where? More…Discuss
The unchallenged painter of the French Revolution, and later the official portraitist to Napoleon, David was the virtual art dictator of France for a generation. His pervasive influence on European art extended beyond painting to determine the course of fashion, interior decoration, and even the development of moral philosophy. Although he was a talented portraitist, David is best known for his paintings of classical, historical, and mythological themes. What are some of his most famous works?More…Discuss
Pius VII became pope in 1800, at a time of turmoil for the Catholic Church. A decade earlier, during the early stages of the French Revolution, the National Assembly tried to subordinate the Church to the state. In 1801, Pius and Napoleon negotiated an end to the breach, but relations remained strained. In one notable incident, Napoleon took his crown from the pope’s hands during a ceremony and crowned himself. What unusual headgear did Pius VII allegedly wear during his own coronation and why? More…
Madame du Barry (1743) Madame du Barry was the mistress of Louis XV. She was first the mistress of Jean du Barry, who introduced her into Parisian high society. Admired for her beauty, she joined Louis XV’s court in 1769 after a nominal marriage to Jean’s brother, a nobleman, qualified her to be Louis’s official royal mistress. Though she exercised little political influence, her unpopularity contributed to the decline of the prestige of the crown in the early 1770s. What happened to her during the French Revolution? More… Discuss
Tocqueville was a Frenchpolitical scientist, historian, and politician. Born into an aristocratic family with ties to the king, his future in government was jeopardized by a revolution in 1830. To distance himself from the trying political situation at home, he embarked on a government-sanctioned mission to the US. Out of it came his best-known work, Democracy in America—the first analytical study of the strengths and weaknesses of US society. What conclusions did Tocqueville draw in it? More…Discuss
My take on this issue:
“Democratically Speaking…Greed, Is Undemocratic…greed is pathological and antisocial…greed is like the pest, that doesn’t survive its last victim!”
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy was an act passed during the French Revolution that subordinated the Roman Catholic Church to the state. Under the act, citizens would elect clergymen and the state would pay their wages. When the National Assembly ordered the clergy to take an oath supporting the Civil Constitution, many refused. The resulting schism within the French church caused many Catholics to turn against the Revolution. What effect did the constitution have on monastic orders? More…Discuss
For the second time in history, a disease has been entirely eradicated. The first was smallpox in 1980. Now, according to the UN, the world is officially free of rinderpest, also known as cattle plague, a highly contagious viral disease that kills ruminants within days of infection. Because many societies are dependent on cattle, this disease has helped shape the course of human history. Indeed, it is said to have sped the fall of the Roman Empire, contributed to the discontent leading up to the French Revolution, and paved the way for the colonization of Africa. More…Discuss
Rousseau was a Swiss-French philosopher and writer who had a lasting impact on politics, literature, and education. In particular, he strongly influenced the theories of the French Revolution and the romantics. Many of his ideas stemmed from his belief in the natural goodness of man, who he felt had been warped by society. His Confessions, published posthumously in 1782, was a frank account of his life and was a founding work of autobiography. Why was he forced to flee France in 1762? More…Discuss
The Illuminati were members of a rationalistic society founded in Germany by Adam Weishaupt. Having close affinities with the Freemasons and seemingly organized on a Masonic plan, the group was briefly very popular among Germanrationalists but had limited influence. The Roman Catholic Church, which Weishaupt left in his youth and rejoined before his death, condemned the Illuminati. In 1785, the Bavarian government dissolved the organization. What conspiracy theories involve the Illuminati? More…Discuss
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CIDSE - TOGETHER FOR GLOBAL JUSTICE (CHANGE FOR THE PLANET -CARE FOR THE PROPLE-ACCESS THIS NEW WEBSITE FROM EUZICASA)
Bastille Day
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