The Birth of Modern European Politics:
The Paris Commune of 1871
Kyle Larson
| The Paris Commune was born as a result of the revolutionary crisis which has festered inside of Parise since the first French Revolution of 1789. It created by several groups of French radicals whose organizations had grown in the years following the first revolution. The Commune itself was created following the outrages of the Franco-Prussian War, after which the defeated population of Paris was living under less than ideal conditions, and tensions were high between the more moderate government forces, under the command of General Trochu, and the radical ÔRedsÕ. These tensions culminated on February 24 of 1871 when several battalions of the National Guard, comprised primarily of members of the proletariat and supporters of the Reds, marched on their own artillery parks and captured over two hundred cannons. Under the command of a governing body calling itself the ComitŽ Centrale de la Garde Nationale, these units, which accounted for some two hundred and thirty of two hundred and sixty commanders in the National Guard, defected from the regular army. |
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In
a single, swift blow, the ComitŽ Centrale had conquered Paris. The artillary
under their command, coupled with most of the Parisian army, constituted the
single greatest power in France other than the Prussian army, who was loathe to
get involved. The Garde, created by the French government to protect Paris from the
Prussians, had stolen Paris out from under the French government.
The
Paris Commune was founded by the ComitŽ Centrale to be the governing power of
Paris. A loose coalition of radical parties, the Commune was a collection of
the greatest political thinkers of the time. Men like Karl Marx and his International, Delescluze and the Jacobins, and Auguste Blanqui and his Blanquists and others saw the
Commune as a glorious opportunity to actually attempt implementing their ideas.
The
modern ideas that were already devolping throughout Europe continued to
grow as a result of the figures who played prominent roles during the communeÕs
reign. These figures gained notoriety and fame for their actions and their
ideas, allowing for the growth of these movements throughout Europe. Even Bismarck,
fearing the influence that the Communards could have on the radical elements of
Prussia, gave clandestine assistance to the army he had just defeated in
order to ensure the fall of the commune. Regardless, the Commune leaders were
very effective in spreading the ideas of their regime, even if they were unable
to maintain it.
The Paris Commune was born of the earlier revolutionary movements, ranging from the Revolutions of 1789 and 1848, and a large amount of frustration that had grown inside Paris both before and during the Franco-Prussian War. The chaos of the time allowed the radicals to take over the government, and with their takeover they managed to bring many of their radical ideas to life inside Paris. This was the predecessor to many major modernist movements, such as Anarchism and Socialsim (in the form of the Blanquists and Jacobins), as they are known.