The insurrectionary communes in France in 1870–1871 were communes distinguished by their refusal to acquiesce to two significant events: first, France's capitulation to Bismarck, and second, the submi
The Declaration to the French People of 1871 set out the plan to organize France as a federation of communes based on direct democracy.
Capture of the Lyon town hall on September 4, 1870, and proclamation of the Republic, the starting point of the Lyon Commune.
The army's last stand against the insurgents entrenched around La Guillotière town hall, on April 30 and May 1, 1871.
Gaston Crémieux was the key player in these events.
Semaine sanglante
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The semaine sanglante was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Communards. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune.
Insurrectionary communes in France in 1870–1871
…the Versailles government during the 1871 campaign in the interior, which represented the final major episode of the civil war in France. The events of Bloody Week (Semaine sanglante) have left an indelible mark on the collective memory of the nation. The first commune to be established was that of Lyon, where the…
Fight for the barricade on Rue Saint-Antoine (25 May)
The Prussians favored the offensive against the Commune. Here, a Prussian battery at the fort of Aubervilliers, pointed at Paris. Photo by Alphonse Liébert.
The Commune leaders with the destroyed Column of the Place Vendôme
Louis Charles Delescluze, military commander of the Commune