2. The Paris Commune and Its Legacy

France Since 1871 (HIST 276)

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 the communards 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 the communards would cast a pallor over leftist politics in Europe for decades to come.

00:00 - Chapter 1. The Paris Commune in Its Historical Context: Napoleon III and the Franco-Prussian War
06:17 - Chapter 2. The Siege of Paris
19:48 - Chapter 3. The Fall of France and the Formation of the Paris Commune
32:17 - Chapter 4. Composition of the Commune: Tensions between Urban and Rural France
38:23 - Chapter 5. The State Strikes Back: The Massacre of the Paris Commune

Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses

This course was recorded in Fall 2007.