COMMUNE DE PARIS. the organized scfalists and workingmen who revolted against the French government March 18. 1871,71 few days after the evacuation of Paris by the Germans, subsequent to the long siege and capture. The national guard of Paris were permitted to retain their arms, and a large proportion of them joined in support of the commune. The more prominent among the leaders of the commune were Felix Pyat, Flourens. Assi, Delescluze, Paschal, Grousset, gen. Cluseret, Dombrowski, Arnoud, Jules Valles, Btanqui,. and 'Rochefort. • Their principles'are a subject of much dispute, but it is fair to quote this definition by one who belonged to the fraternity: "Their philosophy is atheism, materialism, the negation of all religion; their political programme is absolute individual liberty by means of the suppression of government, and the division of nationalities into communes more or less federated; their political economy consists essentially in the dispossession, with compensation, of the present holders of capital, and in assignment of the coin, land, etc., to associations of workmen." The same writer affirms that "the central committee of the national guard, exclusively com posed of workmen, members of the Internationale, has taken the initiative, and alone has the merit of the movement." The national guard being divided in sentiment, the communists gained control of the city. Convicts released from the prisons, and foreign refugees, joined them. The more intelligent of the leaders, who had some moral scru ples, were soon discarded, and desperadoes and outlaws obtained complete control. An election for the choice of members of the commune was held on the 26th of March, but the friends of order declined to vote, and the insurgents had an easy triumph. After the result was ascertained, the leaders issued a proclamation in these words: The cen tral committee has remitted its powers to the commune citizens; your commune is con stituted. The vote of the 26th of March has sanctioned the victorious revolution," etc. The government at Versailles sent a force to suppress the insurrection. On the 2d of
April, a body of insurgents marched against Versailles, but were repulsed at Meudon. Gustave Flourens, one of the commanders of the commune, was soon afterwards killed. The army of the republic, under command of marshal Mc3lahon, began the siege of Paris. Dombrowski, Cluseret, Rossel, and Deleschtze, successively held command of the insurgent forces. The commune was torn with dissensions, which greatly dimin ished their power of resistance. On the 5th of April, they arrested the archbishop of Paris and others, and imprisoned them as hostages. Possessing several forts in the environs, the insurgents made an obstinate resistance to the advance of McMahon; but they were at length. overcome. After capturing several of the forts, the besieging army, 90,000 strong, entered Paris by several gates on the 22d of May, and inclosed the incur= gents in a semicircle; but the latter fought for five days behind barricades, committing atrocious acts of cruelty and vandalism. They set fire to the public buildings, and threatened the destruction of the ancient monuments and treasures of art. Among the fine edifices which they burned were the Tuileries, the Palais de Justice, the Palais Royal, and the II6tel de Ville. The Louvre was partly consumed. They shot Darboy," archbishop of Paris; Boujeau, president of the court of cessation; and others whom they had held as hostages. In the execution of their incendiary schemes they ignited petro leum, gunpowder, and other explosive materials in many places. At length, on the 27th of May, the contest ended; 2,5,000 communists were taken prisoners, some of whom were put to death, while a number were sentenced to deportation. Delescluze was killed while fighting in the street. Most of the ringleaders who survived the battles were put to death. All but a very small number of those who were banished were amnestied in ISSO.
There was a still older commune in Paris—that of 1790, which was created by law, but soon proved stronger than its creators. This commune bore a leading part in the worst outrages of that era. Sec PARIS, ante.