Paris in 1871 was a shambles following military defeat, siege, and a bloody uprising. By 1900, the Belle Epoque was in full flower, but the decades between were marked by tension and conflict, as the new challenged the old in everything from politics to art, literature, music, science, and engineering. McAuliffe examines this era through the eyes of Monet, Zola, Debussy, Eiffel, Marie Curie and others as they struggled with the forces of tradition.