We begin by examining the politics and society of mid-1800s France to better understand the circumstances that led to the dramatic events of 1870-1871. When a disastrous military defeat at the hands of the Prussians leads to the collapse of the Second French Empire, a new government comes to power promising to continue fighting to the very end.

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Bibliography

Abidor, Michael. Communards: The Story of the Paris Commune of 1871 As Told By Those Who Fought For It. Marxists Internet Archive, 2010. 

Christiansen, Rupert. Paris Babylon: The Story of the Paris Commune. Penguin Books, 1994.

Edwards, Stewart. The Paris Commune, 1871. Quadrangle Books, 1971. 

Gluckstein, Donny. The Paris Commune: A Revolution in Democracy. Haymarket Books, 2006. 

Horne, Alistair. The Fall of Paris: The Siege and the Commune, 1870-1871. Penguin Books, 1990. 

Lissagaray, Prosper-Olivier. History of the Paris Commune of 1871. Black and Red Publishers, 2007.

Marx, Karl. Civil War in France: The Paris Commune. International Publishers, 1985.

Cover Image: Photograph of communards manning a barricade in Paris, March 18th, 1871.

Opening Theme: Symphony No. 9 in E minor, "From the New World", Op. 95, B. 178 by Antonín Dvořák.

Closing Theme: "La Varsovienne" performed by Catherine Ribeiro.