The Paris Commune, Alive and Divisive ---- A new book on the Paris Commune. Although written by Michel Winock, what new insights can we possibly gain from this historical event? The essentials and the unfolding of events are already familiar, as are the key players... And yet. First of all, the publication of a concise work on the subject, in which the author skillfully conveys meaning through facts and statements, is always welcome. The Gallimard collection, "The Days That Made France," which includes the book, skillfully places each day within its political and social context. We delve both before and after March 18, 1871, to analyze the French civil war, as the subtitle suggests. We might question the choice of cover illustration: the fall of the Vendôme Column. Was this truly the most important image to remember from those 72 days of the Paris Commune? Fortunately, Michel Winock takes a broader perspective in his analysis, blending anecdotes, speeches, and reflections. Readers unfamiliar with the events will find it worthwhile, providing a foundation for further exploration through testimonies and other analyses.
The Paris Commune, from March 18 to May 28, 1871, presents a threefold face: republican, working-class, and patriotic. It emerged in a divided France, transcending the events and the passage of time. To our great surprise, even today, on the occasion of its 150th anniversary, elected officials and right-wing and far-right activists unleashed a torrent of denunciations in the Paris City Council, in the streets, and on social media, alleging the alleged crimes of the Communards. The persistent bitterness of reaction! Also noteworthy is the book's appendix, which includes excerpts from school textbooks about the Commune.
Paris, the Bivouac of Revolutions
The book's first contribution is to evoke the preceding years. The 19th century, between the fall of Napoleon I in 1815 and that of his nephew in 1870 at Sedan, is somewhat hazy in the minds of readers. Empire, Restoration, the various forms of monarchy, Republic, Empire again... the revolutions of 1830 and 1848... Michel Winock synthesizes these years with the rise of the workers' and socialist movements, the place of the bourgeoisie, and the development of an outrageous economy that exploited the proletariat. The vacillations of Adolphe Thiers remain to be analyzed. He, whom Chateaubriand believed "understood everything except grandeur," he who called the people a "vile multitude," he who would wage a life-or-death struggle against them despite calls for negotiation and compromise. Thiers is directly responsible for the deaths of thousands of Parisians, the destruction of neighborhoods and infrastructure, much to the relief of the Versailles bourgeoisie. But that's not all; the societal divide also existed between the agricultural, provincial world and the urban world. The cities were republican, the countryside monarchist and Legitimist. Even in Paris itself, social distinctions became topographical. The divide between the capital and the provinces was cultural, political, social, and economic-one of the reasons why the Paris Commune failed to expand its influence.
After the siege of 1870-1871 and the sacrifices endured, the negligence of the military, including Trochu, made Parisians intolerant of the armistice and the cessation of hostilities. Thiers distrusted them and wanted to seize the cannons and disarm the National Guard. This was the affair of the Montmartre cannons. The insurrection is underway, and as he had proposed to Louis-Philippe in 1848, he evacuates Paris in order to retake it by force and punish the people he despises. Michel Winock clearly lays out this context, which could be considered a highly risky undertaking.
Confusion reigns in the capital. The Communards are not ready. Members of the International Workingmen's Association, such as Varlin and Malon, have some ideas, but how to structure an administration to govern Paris? They are staunchly legalistic and want elections, scheduled for March 26. Three factions emerge: Republicans (Delescluzes), Blanquists (Vaillant), and Proudhonians, members of the International Workingmen's Association (Beslay, Courbet). Winock provides a complete list of these factions, along with short biographies.
Acting Under Fire from the Versailles Government
Under fire from the Versailles government and still on the defensive after the failed sortie at Rueil and Clamart on April 3rd, they restarted the services, promoted principles (separation of Church and State), and innovated in education, business management, and labor law. Some believe these measures were not very useful, yet a simple rereading of the Commune's program of April 19th reveals its clarity.
Michel Winock evokes life in Paris with a festive air, the debates in the clubs, the role of women, and freedom of the press, exemplified by Jules Vallès's *Le Cri du peuple* (100,000 copies). Unfortunately, confusion and rivalries within the various institutions, along with betrayals, dealt fatal blows to the Commune. The Bloody Week was, of course, horrific, and the exact number of victims remains forever unknown (between 17,000 and 30,000, not counting those who died in deportation or on the prison hulks).
This Paris Commune brought the cycle of revolutions in France to a close, becoming a universal myth and opening the door to debate, notably between Marx and Bakunin. After the amnesty of 1880, some re-engaged in the political struggle, a way of emphasizing that the Commune was alive, and this book demonstrates it.
* Michel Winock
*The Commune: The French Civil War*
Gallimard, 2026
https://monde-libertaire.net/?articlen=8816
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Link: (en) France, Monde Libertaire - IDEAS AND STRUGGLES: The Commune, the French Civil War (ca, de, fr, it, pt, tr)[machine translation]
Source: A-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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