Chloe Shiau - Week 2

In class we talked about how France is known for its tourists. These tourists come to France for the culture, and the richness and history of the arts. From Week 2 readings, I believe that France was reformed by improving the people as a whole. Abbott Payson Usher’s “Colbert and Governmental Control of Industry in Seventeenth Century France” shows that in Colbert’s day, France had competition with England and Holland. However, instead of growing economically, he sought out to emphasize in education and arts. Usher wrote that there was a time when national authority weakened the importance of art, so he had to do something about it. He created a set of codes, which are similar to laws, to “lift the individual above the level of his undisciplined mediocrity.” These set of codes, or laws, made sure that people in France knew their boundaries on what they could or could not do, which created a stronger country. Because of these laws there are millions of people from all over the world that come to France to see the beautiful creations of art and culture. I went to France recently, Paris to be specific. The Notre Dame church was beautiful, the Eiffel Tower looked nothing like I have seen in just pictures, and the Arch de Triumph was detailed to the last centimeter. The codes the Colbert set has brought France to become this wonderful tourist area that is enriched in history. 

Question: How has the recent attacks on Paris changed the love of culture and arts in France? Do tourists now see France as a country of terrorist attacks instead of its arts and history?

Works Cited:

"Musee Des Arts Et Metiers | 60 Rue Reaumur, 75003 Paris, France - Picture of Musee Des Arts Et Metiers, Paris - TripAdvisor." Musee Des Arts Et Metiers. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Jan. 2016.

Usher, A. P. “Colbert and Governmental Control of Industry in Seventeenth Century France”.The Review of Economics and Statistics 16.11 (1934): 237–240. Web. 08 Jan. 2016.