Belle Époque

The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the French Third Republic, it was a period characterised by optimism, enlightenment, regional peace, economic prosperity, nationalism, colonial expansion, and technological, scientific and cultural innovations. In this era of France's cultural and artistic climate, the arts markedly flourished, and numerous masterpieces of literature, music, theatre and visual art gained extensive recognition.