Ajay K Nirankari

Review of EiffelTowers

During the 18th and 19th century, France underwent...

During the 18th and 19th century, France underwent many changes that were both terrifying and extravagant. After suffering defeat by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War of 1870, France entered a period of civil uprising. This time of tension, contradiction, change, and anticipation became known as Belle Epoque (Harris, 1). The Belle Epoque included the last two decades of the 19th century, when France s economy flourished. During the Belle Epoque era, French citizens fused new prosperity with old values, and the era became known as the beautiful years (Greene, 9). Between the worst of times, however, French citizens lived in what we now refer to as the best of times (Harris, 1). By the late 19th century, as building technology improved new materials such as iron, steel, and reinforced concrete made it possible to design and construct tall, free-standing structures (Greene, 7). Due to the Industrial Revolution that entered England in 1750, iron increased in practical importance and became widely used in the construction of bridges and high rise buildings (Hocker, 128). The most outstanding monument to the Iron Age was the construction of the Eiffel Tower by Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923) for the Paris Exposition of 1889. The Eiffel Tower was a controversial structure that used new engineering techniques and materials developed during the first century of the Industrial Revolution. Although the Eiffel Tower was cloaked in controversy during its construction, today it not only exemplifies a monumental symbol of Paris, but also continues to be a functional work of art.