The World’s Fair in History, Essay Example

World’s Fairs: Celebrations of Culture and Science

The world’s fairs were events that defined accomplishments of the individual nations of the world, celebrated culture and advancements and international relations, and employed thousands around the world. From the first appearance of the fair in 1851, these events have been an international celebration of historical innovations and cultural cohesion. The intricate structures of the world’s fairs, being built from scratch, represent the cultures of the individual nations, and required astounding amounts of planning and participation. The attendance, trade, and profit successes of these events helped shape the nations and the international relations of the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. They showcased the scientific innovations of the day, but also gave recognition to the artistic accomplishments of the time (“World’s Fairs”). For the United States specifically, the world’s fairs were an essential platform for introducing themselves to the rest of the world as a nation capable of scientific innovation and cultural advancements. Even so, the tensions between and within nations were strong adversaries to the success of the fairs. Namely during the late 19^th century in the United States, the economic and social situation of the nation was at a pivotal time of downfall and change (“History of the World’s Fairs”). These iconic fairs marked the most substantial moments in history and allowed a chance for nations to show off their greatest attributes, but also forced the nations to recognize the accomplishments of one another and work together to make the events times of celebration, advancement, and international entertainment.

The first world’s fair, that prompted sudden burst of other fairs, was held in London in 1851. This fair, which acted as a precedent for all following fairs, was spearheaded by Prince Albert, the husband of the renowned Queen Victoria. He was well aware of the benefits the fair would have on international trade, as it caused in influx in the exportation of British goods. The fair also served as an opportunity to show off London and its amenities to the rest of the world. The design of the first world’s fair was somewhat of an event. Prince Albert held a competition to determine who would have the opportunity to design the structure for iconic international event. Contrary to popular expectations, the winner was a greenhouse designer by the name of Joseph Paxton. Paxton designed a glass structure for the fair, which earned the London 1851 world’s fair the nickname “Crystal Palace.” The event was a smash success; it succeeded in showcasing the latest scientific innovations of the day along with other works of art. Due to its intriguing design and groundbreaking attractions, the event drew in approximately six million people from around the globe and earned a substantial profit, which was put in a fund to go towards grants for British students in scientific fields (“History of the World’s Fairs”). Not only was this first world’s fair a hit success on its own, it lit the fire for other nations to build their own fairs, and also challenged the other nations to live up to or surpass the success of the first fair. The first world’s fair centered in London sparked a tradition of events centered on commerce and scientific innovations, while setting the bar of excellence that all subsequent fairs looked up to.

After Europe set the precedent for spectacular world’s fairs, the United States soon followed suit in 1876 with a fair in Philadelphia. While all world’s fairs brought in substantial revenues, this fair was a particular success. About ten million people attended, and the profits were sizeable enough to cancel out the cost of the extravagant event. After this fair, there were many such event across the United States, the arguably most notable being the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. This event shattered previous attendances statistics, with over 27 million people in attendance. It celebrated the anniversary of Christopher Columbus’ arrival in America, and was, like the other fairs before it, an outstanding success culturally and financially. These fairs in the United States helped to bring international attention and recognition to the nation. They served as an opportunity to showcase the integral scientific and humanities innovations spearheaded in America. Not only were the 1876 and 1893 fairs arguably two of the most successful based on their attendance and revenues, they also served to solidify the United States as a nation capable of greatness by celebrating the nation’s scientific and cultural accomplishments.

The multiple points of turmoil that plagued the 19^th and 20^th centuries were reflected in these international fairs. This time was a period of change as well as conflict, and the fairs had to survive the international tensions that prevented cohesion amongst the nations in order to thrive. The 1895 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago was one of the most defining fairs for the United States, but also one of the most controversial fairs. This was a pivotal event for the United States to establish itself as a self-sufficient nation capable of innovation. Henry Adams said, “Chicago asked in 1893 for the first time the question whether the American people knew where they were driving” (Rose). Julia Rose argues that “the Exposition had an emphatic answer: onward and upward” (Rose). This fair was a proud statement of success to the European nations that still viewed the United States as deeply inferior due to the youth of the nation. However, although the 1893 fair was a time of self-importance for the United States, it was also a time of poverty and corruption for the nation. Jacob Riis had published his notable work How the Other Half Lives only three years prior to the fair (“History of World’s Fairs”). This piece details the problem of poverty in American urban cities and criticizes the wide gap between the rich and the poor that was the under-addressed shame of the United States at the end of the 19^th century. At the same time, the United States was also dealing with racial tensions that further divided the society. Even in light of these social and economic problems, the 1893 world’s fair was able to thrive. As other world’s fair before it had also overcome societal issues in the name of celebration and entertainment the 1893 fair also managed to be widely successful. One of the most notable tensions the world’s fairs have had to survive was the Cold War. The fairs that occurred around this time, notably the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933-1934 and the New York World’s Fair in 1939-1940 had to muddle through hostile sentiments between the United States and the Soviet Union. During these fairs most of the main focus was comparing the two opposing nations, adding fuel to the rivalry between the two nations. After the First World War, in the midst of the Great Depression and the Cold War, the fairs lost the intense cultural significance they had once had and lost momentum (“Modernism and Cold War Rivalries”). The era of the fairs had come and gone, and now the fairs were only a shadow of their past significance and glory. The fairs during the turn of the century that saw some of the greatest scientific and cultural advances in human history will always shine brighter that any subsequent fairs. While some have attempted to revive the tradition of the world’s fair after these events, they will never again be as pivotal for society as they once were.

The era of the world’s fairs was an iconic time of scientific advancements and cultural celebration. Furthermore, the astounding attendance records of these events prompted revenue that was miraculously able to outweigh the substantial cost of these intricate events. At the same time, the fairs also supported trading and commerce between the nations. Being that most structures for the fairs were built from scratch, the planning and cost that went into making the fairs possible was impressive to say the least. Each nation was able to gain something from the fairs, but for the United States, the opportunity to display its prowess as a nation of agency and progression was particularly essential to earning the respect of other nations. The fairs also reflected the events of the world at the time, and therefore the tensions of the late 19^th and early 20^th centauries also played a part in the events. After the First World War, the fairs lost some of their momentum and quickly began to fade away. However, the innovations they showcased and the cultural strides they prompted live on. The world’s fairs were historically essential events that saw astounding revenues and attendance records, and that prompted an increase in international relations and the appreciation of scientific and cultural innovations.

Works Cited

“History of the World’s Fairs.” ExpoMuseum. Urso Chappell, 2015. Web. <http://www.expomuseum.com/>.

“Modernism and Cold War Rivalries.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2015. Web. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/649088/worlds-fair/301791/Modernism-and-Cold-War-rivalries>.

Rose, Julia K. “World’s Columbian Exposition: Reactions to the Fair.” N.p., 1996. Web. <http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ma96/wce/reactions.html>.

“World’s Fairs.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 205. Web. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/649088/worlds-fair>.