The Paris Commune 1871

by Robert Tombs

The Paris Commune was the biggest and last popular revolution in western Europe - ending the cycle of revolutions that started in 1789. The Parisians, reeling from defeat in the Franco-Prussian War set up their own revolutionary administration. Government troops eventually retook the city and took a terrible revenge: thousands died in the bloodbath that followed. The short-lived Commune and its repression cast a long shadow. It exposed deep divisions in French society and became a potent inspiration for the radical left. This stirring new study written with great zest, and a vivid sense of time and place lets the reader experience these tumultuous events at first hand and provides a comprehensive synthesis of recent research in both French and English.

Genres: History, European History, Nonfiction, France, Politics

252 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Camille · Rating 4 out of 5]

Une histoire qui s'inscrit dans la filiation des travaux de Rougerie et contre les simplifications d'un certain type de marxisme. Robert Tombs fait très attention à la fois aux acteurs et aux circonstances. Il montre que l'homogénéité relative créé par les travaux haussmaniens et plusieurs autres facteurs (la guerre notamment) ont permis la proclamation de la Commune de Paris.
La Commune se présente comme une immense accumulation de patriotisme, dans un premier temps. Les communards ne sont pas anarchistes, ni même socialistes, encore moins marxistes (quoi qu'en puisse penser des individus qui composent les communards). Ils sont avant tout républicains et luttent contre les royalistes (légitimistes et orléanistes) représentés par l'assemblé de Versailles. Leur composition sociale (en tout cas celle des plus importants) est faite d'artisan et d'ouvriers qualifiés. Il ne s'agit donc pas, stricto sensu, de prolétaires.
Chose intéressante, le gouvernement de la Commune a été élu, ce qui est rare en situation révolutionnaire.

[Vanrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very detailed and honestly good enough to understand the event in of itself, maybe plus The Civil War in France by Marx of course. This spontaneous uprising was unplanned and there were many groups at play (Jacobins, Blanquists, and Proudhonians), but none of them had a specific goal in mind. It was just a glimpse of what could be. It was primarily patriotic and specific to Parisians, but they knew little how much it would affect the future. The people of Paris created a temporary version of society that was local to them, they didn't follow a specific blueprint. This event was more of a catalyst for more socialist theory to emerge in the future.