The Commune appeals to the major cities of France

A majority of the Council created a five-member Committee of Public Safety with broad executive powers. A minority opposed the body as authoritarian and contrary to the Commune’s democratic...

People could reclaim essential objects valued below twenty francs from the municipal pawnshop without payment. The measure especially benefited poorer households.

After sustained bombardment and confused Communard command, government forces occupied Fort Issy. Its fall weakened the southwestern defence of Paris.

Louis Rossel resigned after criticizing the military organization of the Commune and the National Guard. Charles Delescluze assumed responsibility for the war effort the following day.

The peace treaty ending the Franco-Prussian War required France to cede Alsace and part of Lorraine and pay a large indemnity. The agreement helped the Versailles government concentrate military...

Members opposing the Committee of Public Safety announced that they would withdraw from council meetings and work in their districts. They objected to concentrating power in an executive committee.

The Vendôme Column, viewed as a monument to militarism and imperial conquest, was demolished in a public ceremony. Gustave Courbet had earlier proposed moving the monument, but later became associated...

A major explosion at an ammunition works killed and injured workers and nearby residents. Communards suspected sabotage, although the precise cause remained disputed.

The Commune directed that religious symbols and instruction be removed from schools and accelerated the creation of secular education. The policy accompanied efforts to improve education for girls.

Government troops entered through the Porte de Saint-Cloud after discovering that part of the western defences was unguarded. Their entry began the Bloody Week and the final destruction of the...