Library:
Madrid
Berlin
London
Turin
Paris Champerret
Paris Montparnasse
The transformation of Paris under the Second Empire, led by the Seine Prefect Baron
Georges-Eugène Haussmann between 1853 and 1870, represents one of the most significant
episodes in modern urban history. Haussmann orchestrated a vast urban redevelopment
program, often described as the "Haussmannian revolution," that turned the French capital
into a modern city and a model of European urban planning. However, this transformation
was not solely about grand boulevards, monumental squares, and orderly architectural
facades. Behind this modernization lies a darker reality: the destruction of the working-class
neighborhoods, the displacement of labor communities, and the forced migration of lower--
income populations to the city’s outskirts.
The goal of these immense works was not simply to beautify the capital but also to address
issues of overpopulation, public health, safety, and the movement of people and goods—all
while reinforcing state power in a politically fragile context. However, the large-scale
expropriations needed to clear space for these transformations had profound, sometimes
devastating social consequences, especially for the working-class residents of densely
populated areas in central Paris.
This thesis explores an often-overlooked aspect of Haussmann’s transformation: the social
consequences of expropriations and their role in reshaping Paris’s social geography.
Specifically, it examines how the destruction of working-class neighborhoods led to intra-
urban migration, pushing the working class toward the outskirts and creating a new form of
socio-spatial segregation that would reshape the city for generations to come.
