Society and its norms are never concrete - they are always shifting and changing to fit the needs of its members. One can see this throughout history - there are many examples of shifting ideologies, political viewpoints, and societal structures. During the nineteenth century in Europe, however, the changes to these points are astounding. Ideas change radically throughout Europe and the West, sending ripples of change throughout the world over time. Political structures are completely overthrown and new ones set in place, and societal structures and expectations shift drastically. One can see even today the effects of what this period of great change did globally.
At the heart of every great change in history rests the ideologies of a people. …show more content…
In fact, in France around the revolution of the nineteenth century, slavery was abolished in February of 1794, well before the United States. Revolutionaries drove this movement, saying that “The French Republic wants all men to be free and equal with no color distinctions. Kings can only be content when they are surrounded by slaves… The republic adopts you among its children; these kings wanted only to load you down with chains or eliminate you.”. Revolutionaries encouraged these men and women to revolt, to fight for the nation of France and to save themselves by backing the people who would liberate them from their oppressors - the French and European nobility. In the Decree of General Liberty, it states rules by which slaves must now be employed and treated by, but also tells former slaves that “... Since you have chosen to become citizens of the French nation, you must also be the zealous defender of its laws… Have the courage to want to be a people, and soon you will be equal to the nations of Europe… Work twice as hard to win the prize that awaits you.”. It’s a great political tactic - freeing slaves endeared the Revolutionaries to said freed slaves and added more revolutionary supporters to the …show more content…
The values of a culture will always be heavily influenced by these changes, and we see that greatly in France and in the West during and after these times of unrest. People looked for ways to express their emotions and culture in art, and thus romanticism was founded. This movement moved away from previously held notions about art and aesthetics, and instead took a viewpoint that was heavily influenced by the pushing of boundaries and the calls for equality one sees in the nineteenth century - emotion was embraced, and imagination walked hand in hand with creativity. The West was rapidly and dramatically changing, and creative expression did as well. In 1800, William Wordsworth wrote “... What is a Poet?... He is a man speaking to men: a man, it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul… a man pleased with his own passions, and volitions, and who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him…”, and “... it will be the wish of the Poet to bring his feelings near to those of the persons whose feelings he describes…”. This shows how social structures were changing - men of art were encouraged to be in touch with their emotions and others - that this freedom to feel was something precious and something to be embraced in artistic creation. It was seen as an act of beauty
At the heart of every great change in history rests the ideologies of a people. …show more content…
In fact, in France around the revolution of the nineteenth century, slavery was abolished in February of 1794, well before the United States. Revolutionaries drove this movement, saying that “The French Republic wants all men to be free and equal with no color distinctions. Kings can only be content when they are surrounded by slaves… The republic adopts you among its children; these kings wanted only to load you down with chains or eliminate you.”. Revolutionaries encouraged these men and women to revolt, to fight for the nation of France and to save themselves by backing the people who would liberate them from their oppressors - the French and European nobility. In the Decree of General Liberty, it states rules by which slaves must now be employed and treated by, but also tells former slaves that “... Since you have chosen to become citizens of the French nation, you must also be the zealous defender of its laws… Have the courage to want to be a people, and soon you will be equal to the nations of Europe… Work twice as hard to win the prize that awaits you.”. It’s a great political tactic - freeing slaves endeared the Revolutionaries to said freed slaves and added more revolutionary supporters to the …show more content…
The values of a culture will always be heavily influenced by these changes, and we see that greatly in France and in the West during and after these times of unrest. People looked for ways to express their emotions and culture in art, and thus romanticism was founded. This movement moved away from previously held notions about art and aesthetics, and instead took a viewpoint that was heavily influenced by the pushing of boundaries and the calls for equality one sees in the nineteenth century - emotion was embraced, and imagination walked hand in hand with creativity. The West was rapidly and dramatically changing, and creative expression did as well. In 1800, William Wordsworth wrote “... What is a Poet?... He is a man speaking to men: a man, it is true, endowed with more lively sensibility, more enthusiasm and tenderness, who has a greater knowledge of human nature, and a more comprehensive soul… a man pleased with his own passions, and volitions, and who rejoices more than other men in the spirit of life that is in him…”, and “... it will be the wish of the Poet to bring his feelings near to those of the persons whose feelings he describes…”. This shows how social structures were changing - men of art were encouraged to be in touch with their emotions and others - that this freedom to feel was something precious and something to be embraced in artistic creation. It was seen as an act of beauty