History of the Paris Commune of 1871¶

Author: Prosper-Olivier Lissagaray

Core Argument¶

Lissagaray's History of the Paris Commune of 1871 sets out to provide the definitive, evidence-based account of the greatest proletarian uprising of the nineteenth century, wresting its history from the distortions of both Monarchist calumny and Radical perfidy. The central thesis is that the Commune was not the orgy of violence and destruction portrayed in bourgeois public opinion, but the first genuine attempt by the working class to govern itself—"the government of the people by the people," the abolition of all class rule, and the replacement of capitalist production with communist, co-operative production. The book argues that the insurrection of 18 March 1871 was not a premeditated conspiracy but a spontaneous, defensive reaction to a deliberate act of aggression by a panicked bourgeois government, and that the Communards demonstrated a remarkable capacity for spontaneous organisation and improvisation in the face of a calculated campaign of sabotage by the fleeing Versailles government.

The work further contends that the Commune was defeated not merely by superior Versaillese force, but was fatally undermined from within by its own political hesitancy, misplaced legal formalism, and internecine squabbling. Lissagaray argues that the Council of the Commune, elected without discernment and without any binding mandate, was riven by "chapels, groups, semi-celebrities" and endless rivalry, lacking the practical men capable of negotiating and combating simultaneously. The book's most damning indictment concerns the Commune's failure to seize the Bank of France—three milliards of francs within reach, enough to buy every general at Versailles—which Lissagaray presents as the decisive economic error that handed the bourgeoisie its weapon. The final argument is that the Versailles repression was not justice but organised vengeance, a calculated bourgeois massacre that killed at least 20,000 people, transported thousands more to penal colonies, and constituted a "balance-sheet of bourgeois vengeance" that the international socialist movement must never forget.

Overview¶

The book opens with a Publisher's Note and Introduction by Eleanor Marx Aveling that establish the text's unique political and scholarly legitimacy. The translation was made from a manuscript personally revised by Lissagaray and approved by Karl Marx himself, conferring a direct link to the central theoretical figure of Marxism. Aveling's introduction delivers a powerful polemical thrust against bourgeois hypocrisy, contrasting the sixty-five hostages shot by a handful of desperate Communards with the thirty thousand men, women, and children massacred by the Versaillese troops of "law and order." She directs English readers to contemporary reports in The Times, Daily News, and Standard from May and June 1871, which describe summary executions at Moulin Saquet and Clamart, prisoners shot in batches of fifty to one hundred, and firing parties disposing of five hundred prisoners a day.

The Prologue establishes the historical context of the Franco-Prussian War and the collapse of the Second Empire, tracing the betrayal of the Republic by the Government of National Defence under General Trochu, Jules Favre, and Adolphe Thiers. Lissagaray shows how the great bourgeoisie, having accepted the Second Empire out of fear of socialism, proved incapable of governing, and how the February 1871 election produced a motley assembly of monarchists and clericals—450 out of 750 members were born monarchists—whose single purpose was to humble Paris. The narrative then moves through the escalating confrontation between Versailles and Paris in March 1871, detailing how Thiers's pre-dawn attempt to seize the National Guard's cannon from Montmartre catastrophically backfired, triggering the insurrection that became the Commune.

The central section of the book charts the Commune's seventy-two days of existence, from the proclamation on 28 March to the final barricades in May. Lissagaray provides a meticulous, hour-by-hour reconstruction of events, interspersed with devastating critiques of the Commune's leadership. He documents the fatal flaws embedded from the Commune's inception: the electoral carelessness that produced a council incapable of meeting the revolutionary moment, the failure to march on Versailles immediately after 18 March, the disastrous sortie of 3 April, the paralysis over the Bank of France, and the creation of the Committee of Public Safety—dismissed as a "parody of the past" and a "revolutionary pasticcio" that jarred with the proletarian character of the insurrection. The book offers vivid portraits of key figures: Félix Pyat, the dramatist and "Jack-in-the-box" whose pockets were crammed with decrees; Cluseret, the "military pamphlet-monger" who had "played the marionette in three insurrections"; Rossel, the "bookish soldier, original only in speech and style"; and Delescluze, whose personal devotion was fatally undermined by a weak character.

The final section of the book is a sustained indictment of the Versailles repression. Lissagaray documents the systematic massacre of prisoners during Bloody Week, the deliberate brutality of the prison camps and transport ships, the farcical courts-martial that condemned men without evidence, and the penal colonies of New Caledonia where transported Communards endured starvation, forced labour, and systematic cruelty. The appendices assemble a devastating documentary record, including official correspondence, eyewitness testimony, and press reports that expose the casual corruption of the military hierarchy and the calculated savagery of the counter-revolutionary victory. The book's place in the Marxist tradition is established through its insistence on the Commune as a proletarian revolution, its class analysis of the bourgeois republic's betrayal, and its argument that the Commune's errors—particularly its failure to seize the economic apparatus of the bourgeoisie—provide essential lessons for the international socialist movement.

Chapter Guide¶

Publisher's Note — Establishes the textual authority of the present edition, grounded in Karl Marx's direct involvement and Lissagaray's personal revision.
Introduction — Eleanor Marx Aveling presents the Commune as the first genuine attempt at working-class self-government and contrasts Communard casualties with Versaillese massacres.
Preface — Lissagaray declares his purpose to provide a definitive, evidence-based account of the Commune, wresting its history from Monarchist calumny and Radical perfidy.
Prologue — Traces the collapse of the Second Empire, the treachery of the Government of National Defence, and the February 1871 election that produced a monarchist Assembly.
The Prussians enter Paris — Documents the spontaneous federation of the National Guard and the Central Committee's emergence in response to the monarchist Assembly's assault on Paris.
The coalition opens fire on Paris — Details Thiers's calculated provocation through economic decrees, press suppression, and military preparations against the capital.
The eighteenth of March — Reconstructs the hour-by-hour events of the insurrection, showing how Thiers's attempt to seize the cannon catastrophically backfired.
The Central Committee calls for elections — Narrates the Central Committee's assumption of power and its stand-off with the mayors and deputies over the holding of municipal elections.
Reorganization of the Public Services — Demonstrates the revolutionaries' capacity for spontaneous organisation in the face of Versailles's deliberate administrative sabotage.
The mayors and the Assembly combine against Paris — Details the political and military confrontation between the Central Committee and the combined forces of Versailles.
The Central Committee forces the mayors to capitulate — Narrates the Committee's decisive victory over the mayors, culminating in the scheduling of elections for 26 March.
Proclamation of the Commune — Describes the free elections and the joyous proclamation of the Commune on 28 March 1871.
The Commune at Lyons, St. Etienne and Creuzot — Chronicles the rapid collapse of provincial insurrections due to isolation and timid leadership.
The Commune at Marseilles, Toulouse and Narbonne — Documents the provincial movements' failure through disorganisation and lack of revolutionary capacity.
The Council of the Commune wavers — Dissects the fatal flaws embedded from the Commune's inception through electoral carelessness and political division.
The Versaillese beat back the Commune patrols and massacre prisoners — Narrates the disastrous first sortie and the deliberate brutality of the Versaillese treatment of prisoners.
The Commune is defeated at Marseilles and Narbonne — Chronicles the final suppression of the provincial insurrections through military force and bourgeois betrayal.
The weaknesses of the Council — Argues that indecisiveness, misplaced deference, and failure to seize the Bank of France ensured the Commune's destruction.
Formation of the Committee of Public Safety — Traces the Commune's turn toward revolutionary authoritarianism through a "parody of the past."
Rossel replaces Cluseret — Charts the brief, disastrous tenure of Louis Rossel, marked by the same fatal disorganisation as his predecessor.
Paris bombarded: Rossel flees — Documents the relentless bombardment and Rossel's resignation and escape after the evacuation of Fort Issy.
Conspiracies against the Commune — Exposes the web of mercenary plotmongers and double agents who exploited the Commune's administrative negligence.
The 'Lefts' betray Paris — Argues that Louis Blanc and the Radical deputies served Thiers as bottle-holders, isolating Paris from the provinces.
The new Committee at work — Charts the terminal decline of the Commune's military and political authority through chaos and internal factionalism.
Paris on the eve of death — Offers a final, impassioned portrait of the Commune as a luminous, disciplined, and heroic city before its destruction.
The enemy enters Paris — Anatomises the catastrophic failure of the Commune's leadership in the hours immediately preceding and following the Versaillese entry.
The invasion continues — Documents the fractured defence and the systematic Versaillese advance through Paris on 22 May.
The street battles continue — Narrates the fall of Montmartre, the massacre of prisoners, and the burning of the Tuileries.
On the barricades — Chronicles the final defensive positions, the execution of hostages at La Roquette, and Delescluze's death.
The Left bank falls — Documents Wroblewski's fighting retreat and the indiscriminate slaughter in Versailles-controlled Paris.
The Commune's last stand — Narrates the final barricades, the execution of Millière, and the last meeting of the Commune's council.
The Versaillese fury — Documents the calculated bourgeois repression that killed at least 20,000 people.
The fate of the prisoners — Details the deliberate brutality of the prison camps, transport ships, and the scale of denunciations.
The trials of the Communards — Exposes the farcical courts-martial that condemned men without evidence and the defection of most accused.
The executions — Documents the arbitrary sentences, the execution of Rossel and Ferré, and the total of over 13,700 condemned.
The balance-sheet of bourgeois vengeance — Details the penal colonies of New Caledonia and calculates 111,000 victims in total.
Appendices — Assembles a documentary record of the Commune's final weeks and the Versailles repression.
Glossary — Provides brief definitions for 31 period-specific French terms.

Key Concepts¶

Central Committee — The spontaneous federation of National Guard delegates that led the insurrection of 18 March and called the Commune elections.

Versaillese — The counter-revolutionary government of Adolphe Thiers based at Versailles, which besieged and crushed the Paris Commune.

Rurals — The monarchist and clerical deputies from the provinces who dominated the National Assembly and sought the destruction of Paris.

Committee of Public Safety — The Commune's revolutionary executive body, created on 28 April, which Lissagaray condemns as a "parody of the past."

Bloody Week — The final week of the Commune (21-28 May 1871) during which the Versaillese massacred at least 20,000 people.

Proudhonists — Followers of Proudhon within the Commune who opposed seizing the Bank of France, a decision Lissagaray identifies as fatally mistaken.

Federal — A soldier of the National Guard fighting for the Commune.

Satory — The Versailles plateau where mass executions and prisoner abuse occurred.

New Caledonia — The Pacific penal colony where transported Communards endured forced labour and systematic cruelty.

Mont-Valérien — The key fortress overlooking Paris that the Commune failed to occupy, allowing the Versaillese to bombard the city.

Chapters¶

42 chapters