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Paris Commune Part 5: Aftermath
After just a few weeks of intense violence, the uprising in Paris is suppressed. But while the commune was vanquished, its defenders killed, imprisoned, or sent into exile, its legacy would live on- casting a long shadow over the history of France and that of the international socialist movement.
Paris Commune Part 4: Civil War in France
Open conflict breaks out in France following the declaration of the Paris Commune. As the communards desperately fight for their survival against the forces of the national government based in Versailles, both sides resort to drastic measures to achieve their aims.
Paris Commune Part 3: The Revolution of 1871
The siege of Paris grinds to a halt in January 1871 when the French government reluctantly surrenders. With popular discontent near its peak, an ill-timed provocation by the recently elected president Adolphe Thiers leads to a massive uprising in the city’s working class districts.
Paris Commune Part 2: The Siege of Paris
The formidable Prussian army lays siege to Paris for months on end. When the Government of National Defense fails to address the steadily deteriorating conditions in the capital, popular discontent threatens to boil over into revolution.
Paris Commune Part 1: End of an Empire
Decades of stability and prosperity in France come to an abrupt end when Emperor Napoleon III leads the nation into a conflict it was unprepared to fight. In the wake of this defeat, a new government takes power in Paris, promising to fight to the last.
When King Louis XVI is forced to take drastic measures to stave off financial collapse, Lafayette and other liberal-minded nobles hope to use the opportunity to push for much-needed reforms to France’s decrepit political structure. However, it quickly becomes apparent that the crisis facing the regime is more severe than previously thought.