Learning goals:
What are, according to Le Galès, key moments of the long history of European cities?
The war of religion with Islam and the split of the Roman Empire empowered the North City of Europe,
because europeans lost their sphere of influence in the Mediterranean and Africa. This historical event
also show the major influence of the church.
During the enlightenment the countries in the North like Netherlands or Germany the prince were more
independent towards the monarchy so hosted written who were threaten in their country.
Protestant were more interesting towards modernity because they are each other more independent.
The church is more luxurious and superficial and all the money is going for the church. Protestant
spend money to make the city growth and not to emphasise the power of the Church.
Ex: the church as to be the highest building in the city… so against the idea of skyscrapers as modern
Industrialisation: mvt from the country side for the city
Rise of an urban elite: first nobility, then bourgeoisie → society is divided in social classes
For decades the main center of power were the church in a city. The spilt between catholic and protestant
weakest the church. So, new building were built for the administration and the state. The state and the
administration are now framing the administration and the bureaucratie. The entertainment has change
as well, so the city have to have a theatre/opera.
What characterizes European cities/what makes cities like Maastricht typically European?
Medieval Western Cities (Weber):
- Fortification
- A market and a specifically urban economy of consumption and production
- A court of law and the ability to set rules and laws
- Landed property
- Legal status of individuals
- Partial political autonomy
End of the Middle Ages, creation of public squares was a key element in the creation of communes
and local democracy.
European cities became seats of learning, arts and science. Creation of schools that were autonomous
of the religious authorities. Dense traffic of ideas, students and intellectual elites.
Dynamic of Northern cities:
- development of a uniform code of law dealing with estate and trade
- Creation of community of burgesses bound by oath
Contemporary european cities:
- urban population
- Developed economy
- Stability of the system
- Number of innovations
- Resistance to change
- Social and political diversity
The main features of modern European societies:
- social classes
- Capitalism
- Culture and education
,- Political autonomy in religious matter
- Political institutions: democracy
The religious authorities were to fitful the tasks of framing and organising urban societies.
Major banking families had financial relationship throughout Europe (Florence/Frankfurt)
Bourgeoisie of early mercantile capitalism had its own way of life, consumption, behaviour were new,
value /ideas, organisation … vs aristocracy and landed gentry
Concept of citizens: membership of a state
How did cities, according to Le Galès, play a key role in the invention of modern European
states and societies?
The population
Trading relationship
Autonomy: able to feed the people
Good infrastructure, especially transports that facilitated the exchanges (ex: trade)
Market, shops, stores are very important to expend the exchanges and make the economy growth
The town hall
In terms of infrastructure building avenue light up is very important (Napoleon III)
Globalisation, speaking English, being a cosmopolitan city
Having an international university, being a center of knowledge
Technological hub
Development of trade and commerce + production
Development of Europe also for military reasons
I) The origins of urban governments in Europe.
Medieval communes, first to established public policies in town planning.
The municipal revolution (making nations-state) is a mvt from 10 century to creates communes by
obtaining titles and charters from their overlords.
The burghers formed sworn confederacies, guilds and corporations to defend their economic interest,
status and autonomy.
- > leads to the creation of democratic institutions of distinctive urban form of law.
- > made the city a collective actor and urban patriotism
Development of urban oligarchies with wealthy families getting marry between each other (Medici)
Then there was a transfer of administrative techniques and political knowhow from the city to the state.
II) States vs Cities
Heroic resistance of proud cities, the seats of culture, innovation, diversity and progress, ravaged by
kings greedy for conquest and brutal state with that force and their blind bureaucratic.
The formation of nation-states in Europe arose out of constraints caused by war. The success of
national state model can be explained by its ability to mobilise the human, technical and financial
resources needed to wage war. The existence of cities, where, wealth is accumulated, represents a key
constraints on the formation of nation states…
States used various means to control cities: legitimacy disputes, the creation of national ideologies,
heavy taxation, political integration, granting privileges to urban elites.
Most powerful cities: industrial, capital
,Horizontal and spatial layering of modernism:
Modern urban culture and society took root and flowered as a combination of local experience and the
influences coming from the great capital cities
, Learning goals:
1. What makes a city european ?
Being inspire on the model of the Radiant City (sun and air)
Sufficient sanitations, to prevent disease, distinction to the medieval cities
Transportation: boulevards, avenue, bridges, railways, train station, streetcars (usually
created in the urban center)
Technology ex: electricity in the urban center
Promenade as a leisure for the bourgeoisie and aristocracy (social duty)
More cosmopolitanism
Society division according to different district: aristocracy and bourgeoisie in the city
center while the working class is in the outskirt
New urban elite:
2. How does industrialisation revolution impacted European cities ?
Because all the new urban infrastructures were made in the factories near the city
Thanks to industrial revolution new technologies were created
3. What are the spectacles ? How does they inform the modern “fin de siècle”
city ?
London:
Develop thanks to the industrial revolution
The entertainment could not be enjoy but the working classe
Water was contaminated because of pandemics
Conflict of classes
Church was still very influential, especially during the pandemic (cholera)
The changes in infrastructure took a lot of time to be made
Poor were excluded from urban planning
1842 Report of (…)
Having sufficient infrastructure was better for the image of the city
Barcelona and Hamburg:
1)Military factory and rivalry with Madrid
Highest population in Europe
Crowned district so pandemic
Inspire by Paris renovation
Advocating for clean and affordable housing
Wanted more light
Principle of social equality
Created factories, school…
Capitalist bourgeoise
Art: cultural renaissance, new artistic mvt, cabaret (inspire by Paris)
Electric street lighting
What are, according to Le Galès, key moments of the long history of European cities?
The war of religion with Islam and the split of the Roman Empire empowered the North City of Europe,
because europeans lost their sphere of influence in the Mediterranean and Africa. This historical event
also show the major influence of the church.
During the enlightenment the countries in the North like Netherlands or Germany the prince were more
independent towards the monarchy so hosted written who were threaten in their country.
Protestant were more interesting towards modernity because they are each other more independent.
The church is more luxurious and superficial and all the money is going for the church. Protestant
spend money to make the city growth and not to emphasise the power of the Church.
Ex: the church as to be the highest building in the city… so against the idea of skyscrapers as modern
Industrialisation: mvt from the country side for the city
Rise of an urban elite: first nobility, then bourgeoisie → society is divided in social classes
For decades the main center of power were the church in a city. The spilt between catholic and protestant
weakest the church. So, new building were built for the administration and the state. The state and the
administration are now framing the administration and the bureaucratie. The entertainment has change
as well, so the city have to have a theatre/opera.
What characterizes European cities/what makes cities like Maastricht typically European?
Medieval Western Cities (Weber):
- Fortification
- A market and a specifically urban economy of consumption and production
- A court of law and the ability to set rules and laws
- Landed property
- Legal status of individuals
- Partial political autonomy
End of the Middle Ages, creation of public squares was a key element in the creation of communes
and local democracy.
European cities became seats of learning, arts and science. Creation of schools that were autonomous
of the religious authorities. Dense traffic of ideas, students and intellectual elites.
Dynamic of Northern cities:
- development of a uniform code of law dealing with estate and trade
- Creation of community of burgesses bound by oath
Contemporary european cities:
- urban population
- Developed economy
- Stability of the system
- Number of innovations
- Resistance to change
- Social and political diversity
The main features of modern European societies:
- social classes
- Capitalism
- Culture and education
,- Political autonomy in religious matter
- Political institutions: democracy
The religious authorities were to fitful the tasks of framing and organising urban societies.
Major banking families had financial relationship throughout Europe (Florence/Frankfurt)
Bourgeoisie of early mercantile capitalism had its own way of life, consumption, behaviour were new,
value /ideas, organisation … vs aristocracy and landed gentry
Concept of citizens: membership of a state
How did cities, according to Le Galès, play a key role in the invention of modern European
states and societies?
The population
Trading relationship
Autonomy: able to feed the people
Good infrastructure, especially transports that facilitated the exchanges (ex: trade)
Market, shops, stores are very important to expend the exchanges and make the economy growth
The town hall
In terms of infrastructure building avenue light up is very important (Napoleon III)
Globalisation, speaking English, being a cosmopolitan city
Having an international university, being a center of knowledge
Technological hub
Development of trade and commerce + production
Development of Europe also for military reasons
I) The origins of urban governments in Europe.
Medieval communes, first to established public policies in town planning.
The municipal revolution (making nations-state) is a mvt from 10 century to creates communes by
obtaining titles and charters from their overlords.
The burghers formed sworn confederacies, guilds and corporations to defend their economic interest,
status and autonomy.
- > leads to the creation of democratic institutions of distinctive urban form of law.
- > made the city a collective actor and urban patriotism
Development of urban oligarchies with wealthy families getting marry between each other (Medici)
Then there was a transfer of administrative techniques and political knowhow from the city to the state.
II) States vs Cities
Heroic resistance of proud cities, the seats of culture, innovation, diversity and progress, ravaged by
kings greedy for conquest and brutal state with that force and their blind bureaucratic.
The formation of nation-states in Europe arose out of constraints caused by war. The success of
national state model can be explained by its ability to mobilise the human, technical and financial
resources needed to wage war. The existence of cities, where, wealth is accumulated, represents a key
constraints on the formation of nation states…
States used various means to control cities: legitimacy disputes, the creation of national ideologies,
heavy taxation, political integration, granting privileges to urban elites.
Most powerful cities: industrial, capital
,Horizontal and spatial layering of modernism:
Modern urban culture and society took root and flowered as a combination of local experience and the
influences coming from the great capital cities
, Learning goals:
1. What makes a city european ?
Being inspire on the model of the Radiant City (sun and air)
Sufficient sanitations, to prevent disease, distinction to the medieval cities
Transportation: boulevards, avenue, bridges, railways, train station, streetcars (usually
created in the urban center)
Technology ex: electricity in the urban center
Promenade as a leisure for the bourgeoisie and aristocracy (social duty)
More cosmopolitanism
Society division according to different district: aristocracy and bourgeoisie in the city
center while the working class is in the outskirt
New urban elite:
2. How does industrialisation revolution impacted European cities ?
Because all the new urban infrastructures were made in the factories near the city
Thanks to industrial revolution new technologies were created
3. What are the spectacles ? How does they inform the modern “fin de siècle”
city ?
London:
Develop thanks to the industrial revolution
The entertainment could not be enjoy but the working classe
Water was contaminated because of pandemics
Conflict of classes
Church was still very influential, especially during the pandemic (cholera)
The changes in infrastructure took a lot of time to be made
Poor were excluded from urban planning
1842 Report of (…)
Having sufficient infrastructure was better for the image of the city
Barcelona and Hamburg:
1)Military factory and rivalry with Madrid
Highest population in Europe
Crowned district so pandemic
Inspire by Paris renovation
Advocating for clean and affordable housing
Wanted more light
Principle of social equality
Created factories, school…
Capitalist bourgeoise
Art: cultural renaissance, new artistic mvt, cabaret (inspire by Paris)
Electric street lighting
