When I planned to visit Paris, my goal was not just to see the Eiffel Tower or take a walk along the banks of the Seine, but to walk in the shadow of the revolution and follow the echoes of the Paris Commune.
The Paris Commune was actually one of the most powerful and tragic uprisings in modern European history, yet surprisingly, many people outside France have never heard of it. So what exactly happened?
The Paris Commune was a radical and short-lived socialist government that ruled Paris from March 18, 1871, to May 28, 1871. The Paris Commune was one of the first modern attempts to build a democratic socialist society. It was a period when gender equality, public education, equal citizenship, and perhaps for the first time, the power of the working class derived from labor were recognized.
Following France’s defeat in the Franco-Prussian War and the collapse of Napoleon III’s empire, the people of Paris, especially workers and revolutionaries, took control of their city. They occupied Paris to govern themselves without a monarchy, empire, or authoritarian rule.
Unfortunately, this dream did not last long.
In late May 1871, the French national army launched a brutal attack against the members of the Commune. The final week of the Commune was marked by horrific street battles known as “La Semaine Sanglante” (The Bloody Week).
Tens of thousands of people were killed.
Many more were imprisoned, exiled, or executed without trial.
The Commune was completely destroyed, and its memory was suppressed by official history for decades. It is estimated that more than 20,000 people were killed in total.
What made the Commune so important was not only its dramatic rise and fall, but also the ideas it represented. These ideas equality, secularism, workers’ rights, and grassroots democracy—are still widely debated today. The Commune has been a source of inspiration for Marxists, anarchists, and socialists for generations, and it lives on in the collective memory as a symbol of the power of the people.
Carnavalet Museum – Traces of the Revolution
I began tracing the footsteps of this movement, which is still little known today but which sheds light on our present, at the Carnavalet Museum.
Located in the Marais district, the Musée Carnavalet is a museum dedicated to the history of Paris, including the Paris Commune. Although the exhibitions related to the Commune are not very large, they are quite impressive. Propaganda posters, handwritten letters, photographs of barricades, and revolutionary banners.
The silent anger of a people who dared to dream in a room is on display. Standing in front of the famous red flag, symbol of the uprising, I imagined the tense atmosphere of 1871. You won’t find crowds of visitors in this section, but it is an unforgettable experience for those seeking the memory of the revolution.
Army Museum (Musée de l’Armée) – The Other Side
My next stop was a heavier place. Les Invalides, where the Army Museum is located. There is also a room here dedicated to the military campaigns that crushed the Commune. This was a painful reminder that history is usually written by the victors. Artifacts from the “Bloody Week” (Semaine Sanglante) in May 1871, when the French Army occupied Paris and executed tens of thousands of Communards, are displayed with chilling impartiality.
It was an uncomfortable, necessary, and extremely informative experience. I won’t share it here. The contrast between this museum and the Carnavalet Museum says a lot about France’s divided memory.
Mur des Fédérés – The Heart of Memory
However, the most emotional part of my journey was at Père Lachaise Cemetery, in the shady, ivy-covered corner where the Mur des Fédérés is located.
This wall is a sacred place. Here, in May 1871, during the final days of the Commune, 147 members of the Commune were lined up and shot. Their bodies were thrown into mass graves behind the wall, along with thousands of others. It is said that the blood of the workers soaked the ground and that the spirit of their resistance never left this place.
Even today, people still leave flowers here. They whisper or sing revolutionary songs. Every year on May 28, those who attend the commemoration ceremony come here to honor their memory. Standing there, I felt the silence of sacrifice. The silent cry of those who walked the path they believed in without hesitation. A cry that only those who wish to hear can hear.
Despite lasting only 72 days, the Commune changed people’s ideas about revolution. For Karl Marx, it was the prototype of proletarian dictatorship. It was where the theory came to life. For anarchists, it was proof that society could govern itself without hierarchies. For artists and dreamers, it was the spark of freedom.
If you go to Paris, go beyond the postcards. Find the red flags. Visit the wall. Listen.
Revolutions leave traces, unless you are willing to follow them.
Stay well.
