The Paris Commune: A Global History

by Quentin Deluermoz

The Paris Commune as a world revolutionary event that crossed from Paris to Algeria and then New York and was the laboratory for all the republican and socialist ideas of a century

From 1871, this book shows, the Paris Commune (March-May 1871) was a global event. The Parisian revolution was quickly appropriated in Europe and beyond, from Mexico City to Algiers, bringing together the many voices of ‘global radicalism’ of the time. Combining history, anthropology and the sociology of crises and revolutions, Quentin Deluermoz also follows the revolution in the making, on the Parisian street corner, from the perspective of ordinary men and women. And it takes up the old and terribly delicate question, in the century of ‘modernity’, of its temporalities, both short and long, continuous and discontinuous.

References to the Paris Commune (March-May 1871) have resurfaced over the last twenty years in a number of social and political struggles in France, the United States, Spain, Mexico and in Rojava. This resurgence has its roots in the long imperial and global history of the twentieth century, particularly anarchist and communist history. But it also comes from further back and refers to sometimes forgotten meanings of socialism, federalism and republicanism . Continuing the immense work carried out over more than 150 years, this book restores in a new way the intensity of the ‘Commune moment’, and provides tools for understanding its enduring relevance in today's world.

Genres: History, Politics, France, Nonfiction

448 pages, Paperback

First published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[Jerry Edward Stephens · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Paris Commune was a radical governing effort that briefly existed in 1871 following the Franco-Prussian war. Many working class Parisians took control of the city and tried to form a new kind of government. They wanted more rights, better living conditions, and a fairer society. This government lasted only a few weeks. The worker-led government was eventually violently crushed by the French government. Many of their leaders were executed in late May 1871. This marked the formal end of the Commune. The author of this new book on the Paris Commune is professor of contemporary History at University of Paris in France. He is the author and editor of more than 15 books with works translated in Spanish and English including the study of alternative or counterfactual histories, A Past of Possibilities: a History of what it could have been (Yale University Press 2021). This new book takes the 19th century Commune idea and examines how it has come to be relevant in other parts of the world. He amply demonstrates how the Commune did influence other socialist and revolutionary movements around the world. Highly recommended for readers of history and of the development revolutionary political ideas and movements.

[Sabiq Anas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book ever 2026