Conservative Modernism at the 1937 International Exposition in Paris

In opposition to the prevailing tendency of historians to characterize French modernization as backward and interwar French society and culture as stagnant and even reactionary, I illustrate how the organizers' focus on human production and its representation in a conservative modernism was a valid response to both the economic and cultural realities of the time. Furthermore, such a response had real potential to bring economic prosperity, confirm a cultural self-definition for France, and restore confidence in the country's future. The study is quite timely, as France in the late 1990 s faces crucial decisions on such things as further European integration, the place of immigrants in French society, and the effects of globalization on French language and culture, all of which will help to determine how France negotiates its entry into the twenty-first century.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

History

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2015

Author dc:creator

• Moentmann, Elise Marie

Contributors dc:contributor

• Liebersohn, Harry

• Design and Decorative Arts

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

(MiAaPQ)AAI9904544

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/84739