The 19th century: the rise of rebellious youth4 reading minutes

According to some historians of ideas, the 19th century marked a break with earlier times, when old age was still seen as a guarantee of experience and a role model for younger generations.

If Mona Ozouf is to be believed, the 19th century could be described as an ’orphan«. Indeed, in an article published in Le Nouvel Observateur in 2007, the French historian wrote that the great political and societal ruptures that marked the advent of this century left the younger generation with a profound sense of emptiness. After the violence of the Revolution and the crash of Napoleon's epic, French and European youth were in search of new landmarks.

And yet, instead of seeking to rekindle the vestiges of a past too quickly dismissed, European societies began to place greater emphasis on the importance of the past.