Week 3 - Katrina Shi

3. Remaking a country: identify a country where there's a strong government planning for National Rebranding

In this week’s reading, we find that a major factor in France’s image as a country of fashion and taste was largely established by strong governmental involvement. In a sense, Louis XIV was ahead of his time when he decided to transform France’s image to one of luxury and elegance. Prior to its transformation, France was like any average European country of its kind. Under Louis XIV’s strong leadership and the strict planning of Colbert, France was able to quickly recreate its reputation, bolstering its aesthetic value through the societal value placed on finery and style. The people bought into these ideas, and through their widespread consumption of luxurious and fashionable goods France was able to remodel itself into the epitome of refinement.

France’s case further proves that in order to create a strong, appealing national brand, the nation’s government must play an active role in controlling the direction of industries. This week’s reading perfectly illustrates the role a strong centralized government plays in creating a nation’s aesthetics. While a democracy may be a strong form of government that best represents its people, a democracy would never be able to create such a distinct persona for their country due to its lack of unity. With a strong central government, the government can establish a desired image and develop solid plans and policies to create that image by guiding the nation’s industry.

Question: In this week’s reading it was mentioned that some of the negative effects of Louis XIV’s plans included overconsumption to the point of bankruptcy. Is there any way to predict possible negative consequences while developing policy and plans to create a national aesthetic, and how can said consequences be prevented or minimized?

Sources: 

Hyacinthe Rigaud, Louis XIV, 1701, oil on canvas, 9’2” x 6’3”. Musée du Louvre, Paris

DeJean, Joan. The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour. Free Press: New York. 

Usher, Abbott P. “Colbert and Governmental Control of Industry in Seventeenth Century France.” The Review of Economics and Statistics 16.11 (1934): 237-340. JSTOR. Web. 20 Jan. 2017.