Posts tagged history
St. Paul, circa 1908.
Puerto Rico (by dmd.hashw)
The Henry Ford (by Ameer Hashw)
This could probably be used for an xzibit meme.
That said, I hope I can make it back out to the Henry Ford someday soon.
1848 vs. 2011
The recent revolts in Tunisia and Egypt and ongoing unrest in Libya, Yemen, Algeria, Bahrain and other countries in North Africa and Southwest Asia reminded me of a bit of European history that might be worth revisiting.
In 1848 a wave of revolts and protests swept Europe. A continent mostly ruled by autocratic monarchs was wracked by protest. Vast mountains of politcal pamphlets were printed off and countless hours of speeches filled the air. Protests swept from France to the Russian East and throughout the Hapsburg Empire and the Mediterranean countries. When the dust settled and the shouting tailed off, not much had changed on the surface:
- In France, the Revolution of 1848 led to the formation of theSecond Republic, which would be overthrown a mere four years later by Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte.
- German agitation for a unified state would remain unfulfilled until 1870.
- The Hungarian portion of the Austro-Hungarian Empire made a power play and attempted to separate herself from Austria, but after intervention by Tsar Nicholaas I at the head of a large army and a brutal martial law period, this revolt fizzled out.
- Switzerland had experienced a short civil war in 1847 and in 1848 approved a new constitution turning it into a federal republic, limiting some of the cantonal authority.
- Sicily rose up against the Bourbons, but a year a half later was reconquered.
- Mainland Italy was swept by war and revolt that saw the Vatican and the various European power players that had divided Italy up for their own ends beaten back temporarily, though by 1849, the Roman Republic, along with Sicily, had been reconquered. Italian unification would occur in 1871.
The current pattern of events in the Islamic Autocracies seems to rhyme with the events in Europe of 1848. I’m sure that Mark Galasiewski and the Asia-Pacific Financial Forecast has much more to say about these revolts and he’ll have the wave patterns and context to give you more insight into the magnitude of the emotional wave driving events North Africa and Southwest Asia.
The most likely outcome of the string of revolts we are seeing, and any others to come (Saudi Arabia, anyone?), will be the co-opting (at the fringes) of portions of the movement or the crushing the uprising. That said, the memes that we see being nurtured in these revolts - democracy (probably meaning different things in each country), an end to crony capitalism, opposition to oppressive security apparati - could very well come back to haunt or inspire these countries in future eras by defining political debates, sparking organized resistance groups or just propelling otherwise ordinary individuals into political or social prominence. Any concessions made to co-opt the Middle Class or segments of society could also opent he door for further demands. These memes, and some of the young people being beaten, shot at or water-cannoned will be energized by the waves of positive and negative mood that will sweep the region in the years and decades to come.
As a final thought, if you think that failed revolutionary movements have little effect on history, please note that the Communist Manifesto was published in 1848. The Soviet Union was founded in 1922. The wheels of time grind slowly, but they grind fine…
Demolition of the old Woolworth’s Store in downtown Minneapolis. Photographer: Norton & Peel Photograph Collection 5/29/1970
(photo via MHS Visual Resources Database)
After the IDS Building was erected here, Woolworth’s moved into a first floor storefront (now occupied by The Gap, if they’re even still there).
And what stands in its place these days? Just another parking lot with a random skyway leading to nowhere, a sketchy parking ramp on the opposite corner, and a former McDonalds which was briefly the BC night club which has lied vacant for several years now.
Twin Cities Urban Recon » West Bank Tailraces
By the mid-1880s, 25 flour mills, a woolen mill, a sawmill, and the city waterworks lined an extended canal. The mills were surrounded by machine shops, cooper shops, and other milling support industries. Railroad tracks were interspersed among the buildings paralleling the canal.
By 1890 the platform sawmills were gone and hydroelectricity was the up and coming industry at the Falls. The flour mills continued to dominate the district until the 1930s Depression when a number of them were torn down and Minneapolis lost the lead in flour production.
In 1960 the west side canal was filled-in during the construction of the Upper Lock and Dam and many of the mill ruins were soon covered with gravel. Flour production on the west side ceased in 1965 with the closing of the Washburn A Mill
Wabasha St Caves (by dmd.hashw)
The Wabasha Street Caves aren’t actually caves at all; they were once silica mines beginning in the 1840’s. Later they were used as a mushroom farm, a role they served until fairly recently.
The caves are most famous for their role as a speakeasy during the Prohibition era. Supposedly gangsters such as John Dillinger and Ma Barker would frequent the caves often.
The caves were the site of a fairly gruesome murder that took place in the “fireplace room” during the 1930’s. Three men were gunned down by lone gangster with a Thompson SMG. Apparently the bodes are buried somewhere within the caves and are the source of many haunting legends.
If you’re looking for some entertaining history on a Saturday morning, you should definitely check them out.
Above is the W Minneapolis - The Foshay, better known as simply the Foshay Tower. It was completed in 1929, just a few months before the stock market crash.
The building was modeled after the Washington Monument and is credited with being ‘the first skyscraper west of the Mississippi’. It remains to this day one of the tallest concrete skyscrapers in the world, second only to the Empire State Building.
The building was named after Wilbur Foshay, a utility company magnate who intended for the tower to become headquarters for his empire and his personal residence.
The dedication of the building was quite grand, with 25,000 guests - each receiving a gold pocket watch. It even included a march written by John Philip Sousa, the “Foshay Tower-Washington Memorial March”, which was played only once during Foshay’s lifetime because the $20,000 check Foshay wrote to him bounced. Sousa then forbade anyone to play the March until the debt was repaid, which was finally done in 1988.
Photo by Ron Layters
The Minneapolis Post Office is definitely one of my favorite buildings in the city.
The post office features the largest bronze chandelier in the world, measuring in at 16 tons and 350 feet long. A few other amenities it included at one time or another were; a hospital unit for employees, a rifle range, and a three-room suite clad in walnut for the postmaster.
Another neat bit about the building is that they originally intended for a rooftop hangar and runway for air mail. It’s probably for the best that never ended up happening.
Anyway, if you’ve never been there before, I’d recommend stopping by the next time you need to ship a package or are just in the area. There is just so much detail to check out that has been relatively untouched by time.
Photo by Jvstin
