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L’Exposition Universelle
Celebrated on the 101st anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille [1] and the month of Marshal Boulanger’s 53rd birthday; the “Exposition Universelle” was a testament to the revived power and prestige of the Kingdom of France. A showcase to the world as it were, of the newfound confidence of the French peoples over the less splendid, inferior cultures of the globe.
Conceived as a spectacle to shame all others, it followed in the wake of the already ecstatic jubilations of military triumph over Germany, the formal establishment of Boulanger as Marshal, and the restoration of the Kingdom. In these exploits, Boulanger had made quite a name for himself internationally, and it is thus no wonder guests were eager to see what came of his exposition. Between May and October 1890, some 36 million [2] of these international visitors avidly toured the Marshal’s city of Paris, its exhibitions and its dazzling showcases of opulent culture and refinement.
Visitors from across the planet, wide and far; all entered the exhibition through the legs of the gargantuan Eiffel-Tower, at that time the tallest structure in the world. An avant-garde metallic skeleton bestraddling the Champ de Mars like the Colossus of Rhodes from classical antiquity - the tower was a devout monument to French industry and technological vision. Though it had been fully completed almost a year earlier, the official opening at the exposition and the welcoming of thousands of guests to its lofty summit [3], garnered an overwhelming upswell in public wonderment. Its 324 metre height would not be trumped for some 40 years, and it’s sheer cultural impact in the public psyche perhaps never surpassed.
Beyond this towering focal point, visitors were astounded at the Galerie Des Machines, the longest interior space in the world - displaying all manner of exhibits related to newfound industry and science. In particular Thomas Edison's exhibits on electricity were graciously displayed with prominence. So too were France’s latest military technologies, displayed ostentatiously in the Palace of War as yet another timely reminder of the French martial triumph. In even further indignation for the Germans, also included in the Galerie Des Machines (though not present at opening), were the great pieces of equipment which were to be used to symbolically face the Lion of Belfort east, towards France's eternal and now vanquished foe. [4]
At the colonial section of the exposition, villages from throughout France's colonial empire were displayed in a makeshift "human zoo" [5]. Rice-eating peasants from Cochinchina, Bedouins from Algeria, Negroes bedecked in mud and bones from French West Africa - the visitors were made to see that France ruled in every corner of the world. The grand concert halls erected for the exposition similarly played host to the eclectic mixture of these corners - the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, Javanese gamelan, a Catholic choir singing the Marseillaise, and even a military bands rendition of “C'est Boulanger qu'il nous faut”.
In spite of the hordes of guests, the grounds were kept meticulously clean throughout the exposition, and a special unit of the gendarmerie, the Maréchaussée de l'Exposition, were formed on the orders of Boulanger to police the busy attractions. Pioneering the idea of “prévision” [6] as it would later be called, the Gendarmes identified problem visitors, monitored them and removed them from the crowd before harm could be done. It was a radical new mode of policing, and helped to prevent many of the petty crimes that plagued large gatherings of the time.
Boulanger also allowed units of the French Foreign Legion to participate in the exposition, the first time they had set foot on the French Metropole during peacetime. Though officially called in to assist the Gendarmes in their policing efforts, their primary use was in ceremonial public duties and showcases. In particular, their participation in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show proved perhaps the most popular non-French attraction, and an unavowed spectacle for American audiences - if unorthodox to most European visitors.
In similar militaristic pageantry, Boulanger also rearranged the Défilé Militaire du 14 Juillet (the Bastille Day Military Parade) such that it could wind through the exposition grounds and underneath the Eiffel Tower. Joining in the parade were the Foreign Legion units present for the exposition, and, following the military and cadet battalions, the drill unit of the Ligue Des Patriotes - the paramilitary wing of the most prominent of pro-Boulangist political parties in the Assembly.
Boulanger himself made a point of appearing at the exposition almost daily. He gave speeches, opened exhibits and displayed cutting-edge military technologies of the day in large, organised drills. Some underground newspapers derided the Marshal as a "ragged circus crier", but the public and international press loved him - labeling him the "Commander of the Exposition". Though of course often disliked for his past international exploits, these energetic appearances fostered a brief revival of the Marshal’s fortunes in the English speaking press - especially so in America. Though a less than natural political orator, the showman Boulanger was more than eager to profess the wonders of modern technology and culture - such was his excitement for all things that might define the new century.
[1] The Exposition had been planned for 1889 as OTL, but had been delayed as a result of the Second Franco-German War.
[2] Slightly higher visitor numbers than OTL due to the obvious public interest in Marshal Boulanger’s “New France”.
[3] In OTL the lifts were completed late (alongside other things) several months into the exposition. In this TL, thanks to the year delay for war, the entirety of the Eiffel Tower opened on day one, hence even more public interest.
[4] The Lion of Belfort is a gigantic sandstone sculpture built to commemorate the French victory at the Siege of Belfort in 1871. It was originally meant to be faced east towards Germany. At the time, Germany protested and it was faced west. Boulanger corrects this...
[5] Ugh indeed. Unfortunately this also happened in OTL.
[6] Prevision is, essentially, preventive policing with a dash of the "broken windows" school of modern policing. Something similar was overseen by Daniel Burnham in the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Obviously in this instance it is used far more explicitly however, and ends up setting a precedent of secret police actions in the name of public order throughout the Boulangerie.
L’EXPOSITION UNIVERSELLE:
"Other nations are not rivals, they are foils to France and the poverty of their displays sets off, as it was meant to do, the fullness of France, its triumph and its splendour."
~ The Chicago Tribune commenting on the 1890 Paris Universal Exposition.
"Other nations are not rivals, they are foils to France and the poverty of their displays sets off, as it was meant to do, the fullness of France, its triumph and its splendour."
~ The Chicago Tribune commenting on the 1890 Paris Universal Exposition.
Celebrated on the 101st anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille [1] and the month of Marshal Boulanger’s 53rd birthday; the “Exposition Universelle” was a testament to the revived power and prestige of the Kingdom of France. A showcase to the world as it were, of the newfound confidence of the French peoples over the less splendid, inferior cultures of the globe.Conceived as a spectacle to shame all others, it followed in the wake of the already ecstatic jubilations of military triumph over Germany, the formal establishment of Boulanger as Marshal, and the restoration of the Kingdom. In these exploits, Boulanger had made quite a name for himself internationally, and it is thus no wonder guests were eager to see what came of his exposition. Between May and October 1890, some 36 million [2] of these international visitors avidly toured the Marshal’s city of Paris, its exhibitions and its dazzling showcases of opulent culture and refinement.
Visitors from across the planet, wide and far; all entered the exhibition through the legs of the gargantuan Eiffel-Tower, at that time the tallest structure in the world. An avant-garde metallic skeleton bestraddling the Champ de Mars like the Colossus of Rhodes from classical antiquity - the tower was a devout monument to French industry and technological vision. Though it had been fully completed almost a year earlier, the official opening at the exposition and the welcoming of thousands of guests to its lofty summit [3], garnered an overwhelming upswell in public wonderment. Its 324 metre height would not be trumped for some 40 years, and it’s sheer cultural impact in the public psyche perhaps never surpassed.
Beyond this towering focal point, visitors were astounded at the Galerie Des Machines, the longest interior space in the world - displaying all manner of exhibits related to newfound industry and science. In particular Thomas Edison's exhibits on electricity were graciously displayed with prominence. So too were France’s latest military technologies, displayed ostentatiously in the Palace of War as yet another timely reminder of the French martial triumph. In even further indignation for the Germans, also included in the Galerie Des Machines (though not present at opening), were the great pieces of equipment which were to be used to symbolically face the Lion of Belfort east, towards France's eternal and now vanquished foe. [4]
At the colonial section of the exposition, villages from throughout France's colonial empire were displayed in a makeshift "human zoo" [5]. Rice-eating peasants from Cochinchina, Bedouins from Algeria, Negroes bedecked in mud and bones from French West Africa - the visitors were made to see that France ruled in every corner of the world. The grand concert halls erected for the exposition similarly played host to the eclectic mixture of these corners - the American soprano Sybil Sanderson, Javanese gamelan, a Catholic choir singing the Marseillaise, and even a military bands rendition of “C'est Boulanger qu'il nous faut”.In spite of the hordes of guests, the grounds were kept meticulously clean throughout the exposition, and a special unit of the gendarmerie, the Maréchaussée de l'Exposition, were formed on the orders of Boulanger to police the busy attractions. Pioneering the idea of “prévision” [6] as it would later be called, the Gendarmes identified problem visitors, monitored them and removed them from the crowd before harm could be done. It was a radical new mode of policing, and helped to prevent many of the petty crimes that plagued large gatherings of the time.
Boulanger also allowed units of the French Foreign Legion to participate in the exposition, the first time they had set foot on the French Metropole during peacetime. Though officially called in to assist the Gendarmes in their policing efforts, their primary use was in ceremonial public duties and showcases. In particular, their participation in Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show proved perhaps the most popular non-French attraction, and an unavowed spectacle for American audiences - if unorthodox to most European visitors.
In similar militaristic pageantry, Boulanger also rearranged the Défilé Militaire du 14 Juillet (the Bastille Day Military Parade) such that it could wind through the exposition grounds and underneath the Eiffel Tower. Joining in the parade were the Foreign Legion units present for the exposition, and, following the military and cadet battalions, the drill unit of the Ligue Des Patriotes - the paramilitary wing of the most prominent of pro-Boulangist political parties in the Assembly.
Boulanger himself made a point of appearing at the exposition almost daily. He gave speeches, opened exhibits and displayed cutting-edge military technologies of the day in large, organised drills. Some underground newspapers derided the Marshal as a "ragged circus crier", but the public and international press loved him - labeling him the "Commander of the Exposition". Though of course often disliked for his past international exploits, these energetic appearances fostered a brief revival of the Marshal’s fortunes in the English speaking press - especially so in America. Though a less than natural political orator, the showman Boulanger was more than eager to profess the wonders of modern technology and culture - such was his excitement for all things that might define the new century.
[1] The Exposition had been planned for 1889 as OTL, but had been delayed as a result of the Second Franco-German War.
[2] Slightly higher visitor numbers than OTL due to the obvious public interest in Marshal Boulanger’s “New France”.
[3] In OTL the lifts were completed late (alongside other things) several months into the exposition. In this TL, thanks to the year delay for war, the entirety of the Eiffel Tower opened on day one, hence even more public interest.
[4] The Lion of Belfort is a gigantic sandstone sculpture built to commemorate the French victory at the Siege of Belfort in 1871. It was originally meant to be faced east towards Germany. At the time, Germany protested and it was faced west. Boulanger corrects this...
[5] Ugh indeed. Unfortunately this also happened in OTL.
[6] Prevision is, essentially, preventive policing with a dash of the "broken windows" school of modern policing. Something similar was overseen by Daniel Burnham in the Columbian Exposition of 1893. Obviously in this instance it is used far more explicitly however, and ends up setting a precedent of secret police actions in the name of public order throughout the Boulangerie.
- Exvio74
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