Final answer:
Throughout history, the response to high crime rates in Paris has shifted from transforming the city's physical environment in the 19th century to 21st-century policies addressing social issues. Despite investments in social programs and harsher policing strategies, unrest in the banlieues continued, highlighting the challenges in dealing with urban crime and social inequality.
Step-by-step explanation:
The response to high crime rates during modernity in Paris has included various approaches over time. In the 19th century, the answer was more physical, with Napoleon III and Baron Haussmann transforming the urban environment with wide boulevards and modern infrastructure, aiming to ease policing and reduce the potential for crime and unrest. However, during the early 21st century, the response focused on social and policy measures. President Jacques Chirac attempted to address the unrest in the banlieues with investments in housing, jobs, and education programs, though these efforts were largely unsuccessful. Interior Minister, later President, Nicolas Sarkozy took a harder stance, with zero-tolerance policies and a promise of "war without mercy" against crime, which led to further riots and unrest.
In 2005, the electrocution of two boys in Clichy-sous-Bois sparked serious riots, revealing deep-seated issues of mistrust and social disenfranchisement in the banlieues. After decades of unrest, including the terrorist attacks in 1995, France adopted laws that were criticized by civil libertarians but were designed to prevent further violence and terrorism. The repeated riots and the government's response underline the complexity of addressing urban crime and social issues in modern France.