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The History of the Paris Commune of 1871

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The History of the Paris Commune of 1871 THE HISTORY OF THE PARIS COMMUNE OF 1871 1 THE History OF THE PARIS COMMUNE OF 1 87 BY THOMAS MARCH 1L onto on SWAN SOXXEXSCHEIX & CO. Ltd PATERNOSTER SQUARE 1896 Butler & Tanner, The Selvvood Printing Works, Frome, and London. MORSE STEPHENS DEDICATED WITH UNFAILING ADMIRATION OF HER MANY EXCELLENT QUALITIES TO MY WIFE 509739 y/te /iyu/es denote lAe- Jrrendissemet^ in& iMick /hru; ts a&fu/ea: CONTENTS List of Authorities .... I. Introductory ..... II. Sunday, September 4th, 1870. III. September 5th to iSth, 1870 . IV. „ 19th to 31st October, 1870 V. November 1st to December 31st, 1870 VI. January 1st to middle of February, 1871 VII. From the middle of February to March 17th 1871 VIII. The 1 8th March, 1871 . IX. Paris under the Comite Central, March 19th to 27th, 1S71 . X. The Communal Elections — Results and Analyses . Paris under the Commune . The Eight Days of May :— Second „ fo ir/iic/i Thris is ctii'u/ect CONTENTS List of Authorities .... I. Introductory ..... II. Sunday, September 4th, 1870. III. September 5th to 1 8th, 1870 . IV. „ 19th to 31st October, 1870 V. November 1st to December 31st, 1870 VI. January 1st to middle of February, 1S71 VII. From the middle of February to March 17th 1871 VIII. The 18th March, 1871 .... IX. Paris under the Comite" Central, March 19U to 27th, 1 87 1 X. The Communal Elections — Results and Analyses ' . Paris under the Commune . The Eight Days of May :— First day, Sunday, May 21st, 1871 Second ,, 22nd, 23rd, -4th, 25 th, 26th, 27th, 28th, LIST OF THE PRINCIPAL AUTHORITIES — to which the Author hereby acknowledges his In- debtedness—made USE OE IN THE COMPILATION OF this Work. Actes du Gouvernement de la Defense Xationale. J tomes. Le 1 8 Mars. Rapport fait a l'Assemblee Nationale, au nom de la Commission d'Enquete, par Martial Delpit. Macmahon. L'Armee de Versailles ; rapport officiel par le Marechal de Mac-Mahon. Rapport d'ensemble de M. le General Appert, sur les operations de la Justice militaire, presente a l'Assemblee Nationale. Gazette des Tribunaux, for proceedings of the Conseils de Guerre. Lefrancais. Etude sur le mouvement communaliste, par G. Lefrancais. Du Camp. Les Convulsions de Paris, 4 tomes (tomes 1, 3, et 4, edition 1S89; tome 2, edition 1878), par Maxime du Camp. Dalscme. Histoire des Conspirations sous la Commune, par A.-J. Dalseme. De la Brugere. Histoire de la Commune, par de la Brugere. La Viriti sur la Commune, par un ancien proscrit. Daudet. L'Agonie de la Commune, par Ernest Daudct. D'Esbaufs. Le Coin du Voile, par V. D'Esboeufs. Rousse. Discours prononce par M. Rousse a l'ouverture de la Conference des avocats. viii List of the Principal Authorities Delpit. Huit jours d'Histoire, par Albert Delpit. Forni. Raoul Rigault, etude par Jules Forni. Faillet. Biographie de Varlin, par E. Faillet. Mottu. Les Desastres de Paris, par John Mottu. Barges. Notre Dame des Victoires pendant la Commune, par J. J. L. Barges. Un officier. Guerre des Communaux de Paris, par un officier superieur de l'armee de Versailles. Journal Officiel. Les 31 Seances officielles de la Commune de Paris (reproduced from the Official Journal of the Com- mune). Larousse. Articles in Larousse's Encyclopaedia on the Com- mune, Vendome Column, and numerous individuals. Etc., etc. References are made to the above under the zvord or words italicised. HISTORY OF THE PARIS COMMUNE OF i87i CHAPTER I INTRODUCTORY SELDOM is it that a popular movement of historical im- portance should take its rise, mature, and end within the brief space of a year, yet such a rarity is presented by the Paris Commune of 1871. The incidents of this movement, compact almost beyond precedent, are of thrilling interest, and rank among the most remarkable events of modern times. Notwithstanding the twenty-four years which have elapsed since 1S71, the reminiscence of the Paris Commune is still an active influence in French affairs. To the Governments of every civilized country that Commune is an object-lesson which cannot, or at least should not, be lost sight of, for the human passions and aspirations which found expression then are still in existence, and may again, under different guises, make manifest their depth and power. To understand all the currents of thought which helped to sweep the Commune into being, some knowledge of the reign of the Emperor Napoleon III. is necessary, and therefore the rule of that monarch must first be briefly adverted to. It was on the 10th December, 1848, that Louis Napoleon Buonaparte, nephew of the great Napoleon, was chosen President of France, under a republican form of government. Three years later, after prolonged friction between himself and the National Assembly, he forcibly dissolved the latter, and maintained the irregular position thus created until it was confirmed by the French people, to whom he appealed by means of a plebiscite. A year later—December 2nd, 1852—Buonaparte restored tht " B 2 History of the Paris Commune of 1 8 7 i imperial form of government, styling himself Napoleon III- This act, also, was subsequently sanctioned by the nation. The Emperor ruled with firmness and tact, and dazzled the sentimental turn of the French intellect by the elaborate splendour of his court. He engaged in various wars with more or less success, and by this and other means consolidated and established his government. The development of socialistic and democratic ideas was restrained with a strong hand, though this feature of his regime did not prevent the Emperor doing what, to his mind, constituted liberal things for the working classes, to whom, therefore, little indulgences accrued from time to time. One instance of this politic trait occurred in 1862, when, by the aid of a subvention from the Imperial Govern- ment and the town of Paris, certain French workmen were sent to visit the great exhibition which was being held that year in London, in order to study the products and methods of English industry. Truly a benevolent and, one would think, harmless mission ; nevertheless, the intercourse of the French and English artisans gave rise to a project for founding an International Association of Workers for the furtherance of the workmen's interests in their respective countries, and such an outcome of the Emperor's liberality was totally unexpected and undesired by him. The idea took root slowly ; it was not put into concrete shape until two years afterwards, when the nucleus of the Association was formed. The Imperial Government of France tolerated no political associations, and therefore the newly born body was of necessity non-political, and it appa- rently was also voluntarily so, for it refused to permit any pro- minent politician to preside over its infancy and patronize its members. Its headquarters were at London, and branches were in Paris, Berlin, and other continental cities. One of the French workmen who were concerned in forming it was a book-binder, named Varlin, who, though only twenty- four years old, had already gained some renown by the earnestness and enthusiasm he had shown in promoting the welfare of the Parisian workmen. Varlin was employed by his uncle, and one day the latter suggested to him that he should marry one of his nieces, in which case the book-binding business would be settled upon him. But, no ; Varlin would never ertrich himself by the labour Introductory 3 of working men, neither would he marry, for his family —the 1 oppressed ! —was ready to hand. The International Association speedily increased in numbers and influence. It was joined after some time by another inter- national body— of freethinkers, from the junction with which dates a deviation from its non-political character. Freethinkers (so called) are averse to priests and religions, and it is impossible to exclude politics from an atheistical propaganda. The new- comers, as well, perhaps, as a portion of the original body, considered that the miseries and injustices under which the working classes suffer could be radically alleviated or removed only by a violent revolution ; and it was in accordance with this impression that, at a congress held at Geneva in 1866, under the auspices of the International Association, certain French- men were invited to attend it because of the revolutionary speeches they had made a short while before at Liege. Among these were two persons named Tridon and Protot. Notwith- standing this, the revolutionary elements were in a minority at the congress. The International Association had by then ramifications all over Paris and France. There were hundreds of various trades' or co-operative societies affiliated to it, all of which received a general inspiration and support from the central office. Early in 1867 there came an opportunity to test its strength. Several large employers of bronze-workers in Paris became alarmed at the numbers of their workpeople that belonged to the trade unions, and gave them the option of ceasing so to do or of relinquishing work at their factories. The workmen at once chose the latter alternative and were joined by the non-unionists, so that a general strike ensued. The International Association supported the action of the strikers, sent to England for assistance —and obtained it ; which two facts bore such fruit that the Paris employers receded from the position they had taken up, and the workmen returned to their labours triumphant. The International Association benefited largely by the prestige which this affair gave it. In the same year the Association held its annual congress at 1 Faillet, p. 12. 4 History of the Paris Co??imicue of 1871 Lausanne. Whilst it did so, another congress, composed entirely of French republican politicians—headed by M.
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