Some of the people Paris\u0027 300+ metro stations are named after did very unwoke things. The French don\u0027t seem to mind. Good for them. Read on.
Napoleon doesn’t have his own metro station but stations are named after his generals and marshals , as well as some of his most notable victories — Austerlitz , Iéna or Jena , Rivoli , Pyramides and others. By today’s standards, conquering Europe, even temporarily and even in the name of liberty, is not a very correct thing to do, yet the French have no compunctions about commemorating their man’s effort to do it.
The French do sometimes change stations’ names for political reasons. Two named Berlin and Allemagne got new names after Germany declared war in 1914. On the other hand, Bismarck’s victorious troops had marched into Paris in 1871, having besieged the city for four months during the Franco-Prussian War, and yet that hadn’t prevented the two stations from having Germanic names right up until the Great War began.
The Europeans have been doing history for a long time now. They seem to have developed an understanding that history happens, warts and all, to cite Oliver Cromwell’s instructions to his portraitist. What’s important is to know what, how and why, not to condemn from the high pulpit of modern morality.Among Europe’s greatest historical treasures are its Roman ruins — and indeed its Roman structures that are not yet ruins.
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
William Watson: Biden's new centrist McCarthyism. Kevin McCarthyism, that isMany seem to think debt\u002Dceiling debates are another example of American idiot\u002Dexceptionalism but since when is debate bad for democracy? Read on.
Read more »
Jordan's royal wedding day gets underway with surprise arrival of Britain's William and KateJordan's highly anticipated royal wedding day got underway on Thursday with the surprise announcement that Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate had arrived to witness the nuptials of Crown Prince Hussein and his Saudi Arabian bride.
Read more »
Jordan's royal wedding day gets underway with surprise arrival of Britain's William and KateJordan's highly anticipated royal wedding day got underway on Thursday with the surprise announcement that Britain's Prince William and his wife Kate had arrived to witness the nuptials of Crown Prince Hussein and his Saudi Arabian bride.
Read more »
Golden Knights advance to Stanley Cup Final after blowout win over StarsWilliam Karlsson scored two goals and had an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final
Read more »
Golden Knights advance to Stanley Cup Final after blowout win over StarsWilliam Karlsson scored two goals and had an assist as the Vegas Golden Knights advanced to their second Stanley Cup Final
Read more »