Vive La Commune women on the frontlines

PDF for download: Primer on Paris Commune 150th

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The editors of PRISM has prepared this “Primer on the 1871 Paris Commune on its 150th Anniversary” as one of our contributions in commemorating the historic and world-shaking event.

This three-part primer starts in Part I with major events that shook Europe in the 19th century and set the stage for the war that broke out between France and Germany in 1870—the Franco-Prussian War. This war directly resulted in the fall of the Second French Empire and the rise of the Third Republic—which in turn triggered a rapid chain of events leading to the Paris Commune of 1871.

Part II proceeds to trace in detail the events that marked the rise, short-lived development, and violent fall of the Commune. It analyzes the twists and turns of the civil war between the Commune and the Versailles-based reactionary regime. It enumerates the achievements, internal divisions, and weaknesses of the Commune. In Part III, the primer summarizes the legacy and lessons of the Commune as these apply to the current world conditions and the unfinished historic mission of the international proletariat.

This 2nd English edition (dated 16 Apr 2021) is available for free download as a PDF document. It supersedes the 1st English edition, and intentionally excludes images for faster transmission. A companion image-rich historical account of the Paris Commune will be issued within the first week of May. Organizations and individuals are free to reproduce this primer in full, in various physical or digital formats, so long as no textual revisions or substantial omissions are made, and this boxed notice is retained as is.

Basically the same text of this Primer is posted on this site in three parts: https://www.prismm.net/2021/03/16/paris-commune-150th-primer-part1/, https://www.prismm.net/2021/03/17/paris-commune-150th-primer-part2/, and https://www.prismm.net/2021/03/18/paris-commune-150th-primer-part3/. #


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