Lecture 2 - The Paris Commune and Its Legacy
Overview
The Paris Commune of 1871 remained a potent force in Europe for several generations afterwards. The reprisals following the fall of the Commune anticipated the great massacres of the twentieth century. While the brief reign of thecommunards witnessed serious adversity in the form of food shortages and disease, it also presided over many progressive social measures, such as the relative emancipation of women. The brutality of the army's actions against thecommunards would cast a pallor over leftist politics in Europe for decades to come.