The Civil War in France

Written as a series of addresses to the General Council of the International Workingmen’s Association from July 1870 to May 1871, The Civil War in France covers the dramatic events of the Franco-Prussian War, the fall of the Second French Empire, and the heroic episode of the Paris Commune: the first workers’ government in history. For two months between March and May 1871 the armed workers of Paris, surrounded by enemies on all sides, took their destiny into their own hands and demonstrated that it is possible for the workers to run society democratically, without capitalists, bankers or even a standing army. In his brilliantly concise and penetrating addresses, written in the heat of the events themselves, Marx succeeds in distilling the experience of the Commune down to its most fundamental elements, drawing out in the process a programme for the revolutionaries of the future. 150 years on, this book remains a priceless resource for the workers of the world. Wellred edition featuring a new introduction providing the historical background to the Paris Commune, as well as Engels' 1891 introduction and articles by Lenin and Trotsky.

Contents

11 chapters

• Introductions
• Lessons of the Commune (V.I. Lenin)
• Lessons of the Paris Commune (L. Trotsky)
• Introduction to the 1891 Edition (F. Engels)
• The Civil War in France
• Second Address: Prussian Occupation of France
• 1. France Capitulates & the Government of Thiers
• 2. Paris Workers’ Revolution & Thiers’ Reactionary Massacres
• 3. The Paris Commune
• 4. The Fall of Paris
• Engels’ Postscript