Week of uncertainty (March 19-26, 1871) , municipal elections of Sunday March 26, and Proclamation of the Commune (March 28)
We are on March 28. 154 years ago, the Paris Commune was proclaimed. The first municipal elections took place on Sunday, March 26. [I would have liked to publish this on March 26, but I was overwhelmed by the challenges of the teaching competition, my thesis, and my internship report. Moreover, my computer is a bit temperamental]. The purpose of my post is to talk to you about the "week of uncertainty" (expression coined by Jacques Rougerie), which began the day after the uprising of Saturday, March 18. I will then talk to you about the municipal elections on Sunday, March 26. Finally, I will devote my next post (which I will present to you this evening) to the Proclamation of the Commune on March 28.
But first, I decided to introduce my post this way: I remind you that on March 18, General Claude Lecomte was tasked by Thiers to retrieve the cannons on the Montmartre hill. 15,000 "lignards" were mobilized. At three in the morning, 4,000 troops launched an assault on the Montmartre hill. By five o'clock, having reached the summit, they began to evacuate the first cannons, just like the cannons left at Batignolles. Similar operations took place in Belleville, at the Buttes-Chaumont, and in La Villette. It was then that the people of Paris rose up... In Montmartre, the alert was quickly given. At dawn on this March 18, six local battalions took up arms. Crowds gathered around the parks where the cannons were located. The people of Paris lived in fear of a repeat of the coup d'état of December 2, 1851. Therefore, they had to stand their ground! Around 10 a.m., General Lecomte, who commanded the 88th line, fired on the crowd; he sent a squadron of gendarmes to assault the hill. However, his men began to fraternize. The Federated of Montmartre, commanded by Jean-Louis Pindy, took over the Town Hall at 10:30 a.m. The red flag was raised. General Claude Lecomte was arrested and forced to sign the order to evacuate Montmartre. In the late afternoon, Lecomte and Clément Thomas were executed on Rue des Rosiers. In the 18th arrondissement, groups of armed national guards occupied strategic points: Boulevard Ornano, Rue Doudeauville, Rue de Clichy, Boulevard Rochechouart, Boulevard de La Chapelle; powerful barricades were set up. Barricades were erected. In the morning, Montmartre had protected itself against a new intervention by the lignards. Then, the crowd killed a cavalry lieutenant at Place Clichy. Around noon, the Federated of Montmartre occupied Place de la Bastille. Throughout this "defensive morning" (according to Michel Cordillot), the popular response remained largely spontaneous. Who were the main actors, the most determined, in these operations on the morning of March 18, 1871? Émile Duval commanded the thirteenth and fourteenth legions (since March 10), Émile Eudes commanded the twentieth legion, Emmanuel Chauvière commanded the fifteenth legion, and Théophile Ferré (president of the Montmartre Vigilance Committee) led the eighteenth legion. The legions of Chauvière and Ferré ended up under the command of Eudes and Duval. The command of the left bank was under Duval's orders, and the command of the right bank was under Émile Eudes' orders. Gabriel Ranvier led the battalions of Belleville, alongside Émile Eudes, and joined the Federated of Montmartre.
The uprising of March 18 became a revolt. In the afternoon of March 18, the first signs of coordination emerged from the small staff of the Central Committee, which met continuously on Rue Basfroi. Although it sometimes seemed to follow the course of events, it had fairly clear objectives. Even if the implementation was delayed, the recommendations made by this small staff eventually came to be executed. In the early afternoon, the working-class neighborhoods of Paris prepared to take the initiative back. On the left bank, aware that the situation had changed, the Blanquist Émile Duval, who commanded the 13th legion known for its combativeness, signaled the popular counterattack around 2 p.m., without waiting for instructions from the Central Committee. Cautiously advancing at the head of four battalions, Émile Duval occupied the 5th arrondissement from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The reconquest of the 14th arrondissement ended around 4:30 p.m. with the occupation of the town hall located at Place de Montrouge. Fearing possible fraternization, the regular army troops withdrew from the left bank following the noisy arrival at 4 p.m. on Place de la Concorde of a federated battalion from Gros Caillou, which was heading towards the Town Hall, causing Thiers to flee in haste. On the right bank, the Federated took over the Minimes barracks. Around 2 p.m., they occupied the National Printing Office. By 4 p.m., they occupied the Château d'Eau barracks. Around 2:30 p.m., Rue Basfroi ordered the battalions from the 17th and 18th arrondissements to quickly seize the headquarters of the National Guard located at Place Vendôme. At 6 p.m., a column of 1,500 to 2,000 men set out. The occupation of the headquarters and the Ministry of Justice finally began at 8:30 p.m.
During the day, the federated forces primarily aimed to take the City Hall for political and symbolic reasons. In the afternoon, two battalions commanded by Maxime Lisbonne and Antoine Brunel descended from the 10th arrondissement towards the Place de Grève, passing through the Place du Temple. A column of five battalions from Belleville, led by Gustave Ranvier, set off at 5 PM and arrived at the Place de Grève at 9:30 PM, where they joined the federated forces of Antoine Brunel and Jean-Louis Pindy, who had arrived two hours earlier, along with several groups from the 11th arrondissement. At 9:55 PM, the order was given to evacuate the City Hall, leaving the field open for the Federated forces, who took possession of the premises shortly after 10 PM. Emile Duval, after occupying the Latin Quarter, decided to launch a new offensive via Boulevard Saint-Michel and the quays from the Austerlitz Bridge (what an awful name!), allowing him to occupy the deserted police prefecture. Around midnight, the Central Committee occupied the City Hall.
To the National Guards of Paris :
"Citizens,
You entrusted us with organizing the defense of Paris and your rights. We are aware that we have fulfilled this mission: aided by your generous courage and admirable composure, we have driven out the government that betrayed us. At this moment, our mandate has expired, and we return it to you, for we do not claim to take the place of those whom the popular breath has just overthrown. Therefore, prepare and hold your municipal elections immediately, and grant us as a reward the only thing we have ever hoped for: to see you establish the true Republic. In the meantime, we retain, in the name of the people, the City Hall."
City Hall of Paris, March 19, 1871. Signed by the Central Committee of the National Guard: Adolphe-Alphonse Assi, Alfred Billioray, Jules Babick, Ferrat, Edouard Moreau, Charles Dupont, Eugène Varlin, Boursier, Mortier, Gouhier, Lavalette, François Jourde, Rousseau, Charles Lullier, Blanchet, Grollard, Barroud, Géresme, Fabre, Pougeret.
We know that from the uprising of March 18 until the municipal elections of March 26, public services are managed by the Central Committee of the National Guard. On the morning of March 19, 1871, Paris awoke liberated. In addition to a series of initial measures taken by the Central Committee of the National Guard (including the occupation of public buildings and symbolic places of power, the lifting of the state of siege in the Seine department, and the amnesty for political offenses), the task was to provide answers to new questions. Should the offensive continue and march on Versailles? A majority opposed this for fear of fueling a civil war. Another question raised was that of the power of the Central Committee. In the absence of consensus, it was decided to organize municipal elections as soon as possible in order to confer undeniable legitimacy on the municipal authorities.
The Central Committee began by seeking the approval of the deputies, mayors, and their deputies. On the evening of March 19, Eugène Varlin defined the insurgents' demands: "We want an elected municipal council. We want serious municipal franchises for Paris, the abolition of the Police Prefecture, the right for the National Guard to appoint officers, including the commander-in-chief, the complete remission of rents over 500 francs, and a fair law on due dates. Finally, we demand that the army withdraw to a distance of twenty leagues from Paris."
Ernest Picard, Minister of the Interior, temporarily entrusted elected officials with the administration of Paris "given the circumstances." An agreement was reached after a heated debate. The deputies presented the capital's demands to the Assembly, and the Central Committee, for its part, entrusted the mayors with the keys to City Hall. From March 20th onward, everything was called into question. At the call of the most determined elements of the Central Committee of the twenty arrondissements, the Central Committee of the National Guard ultimately refused to surrender City Hall.
Decree of the Central Committee of March 21 :
"The Central Committee, having been unable to establish a perfect agreement with the mayors, is forced to proceed with the elections without their assistance.
Consequently, the committee decides:
Elections will be held in each district by an electoral commission appointed for this purpose by the Central Committee;
The voters of the city of Paris are summoned on Thursday, March 23, 1871, to their electoral colleges, for the purpose of electing the municipal council of Paris;
Voting will be conducted by list and by district;
The number of councilors is set at 90, which is 1 for every 20,000 inhabitants and for each fraction over 10,000;
They will be distributed according to the population of each district;
Voters will vote upon presenting the card that was issued to them for the election of deputies to the National Assembly on February 8, 1871, and in the same locations;
Those voters who were unable to collect their card at that time or who have lost it since will participate in the vote after verification of their registration on the electoral list. They must establish their identity with two registered voters from their section;
The polling will open at 8 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.; the counting will begin immediately after the closing of the polls.
The Central Committee hands over to the people of Paris the power that has fallen from unworthy hands. The municipal elections will be conducted according to the usual method; however, the Central Committee expresses the wish that in the future, the nominal vote be regarded as the only truly moral one, worthy of democratic principles".
On March 21, the district mayors and elected officials (notably Georges Clemenceau, Frédéric Cournet, Edouard Lockroy, Benoit Malon, Henri Tolain) attempt to negotiate with the Versailles Assembly (led by Jules Grévy) in order to avoid any confrontation between the National Assembly and the National Guard. The Assembly is divided on the question of whether to make concessions to Paris. The republican elected officials of Paris demand the holding of municipal elections. The National Assembly issues a proclamation that stigmatizes the insurgents.
On March 21 and 22, the National Assembly votes to reject the requested municipal elections. On the same day, the "Friends of Order" confront the National Guard in Place Vendôme. There are casualties on both sides.
"Workers,
We have fought, we have learned to suffer for our egalitarian principle; we cannot retreat when we can help lay the first stone of the social edifice.
What have we asked for?
The organization of credit, exchange, and association, in order to ensure that the worker receives the full value of his work;
Free, secular, and comprehensive education;
The right to assemble and associate, absolute freedom of the press, and that of the citizen;
The organization of municipal services such as police, armed forces, hygiene, statistics, etc.
We have been deceived by our rulers; we allowed ourselves to be caught in their game while they caressed and repressed all factions whose antagonism ensured their existence.
Today, the people of Paris are clear-sighted; they refuse to play the role of a child directed by a tutor, and in the municipal elections, the product of a movement of which they themselves are the authors, they will remember that the principle governing the organization of a group or an association is the same that must govern society as a whole; and just as they would reject any administrator or president imposed by a power outside of themselves, they will reject any mayor or prefect imposed by a government foreign to their aspirations.
They will assert their superior right to the vote of an Assembly, to remain masters in their city, and to constitute their municipal representation as they see fit without claiming to impose it on others.
On Sunday, March 26, we are convinced, the people of Paris will take pride in voting for the Commune."
Signatories: The delegates present at the night session of March 23, 1871:
Federal Council of the Parisian sections of the International Workingmen's Association – Emile Aubry (Rouen federation), Boudet, Chaudesaigues, Coifé, Victor Demay, A. Duchêne, Dupuis, Léo Frankel, Henri Goullé, Laureau, Charles Limousin, Martin Léon, Nostag, Charles Rochat. Federal Chamber of Workers' Societies – Zéphyrin Camélinat, Descamps, Evette, Galand, Haan, Hamet, Jance, J. Lallemand, Lazare Lévy, Jean-Louis Pindy, Eugène Pottier, Rouveyroles, Spoetler, Albert Theisz, Véry.
The Central Committee, breaking away from its initial intention to confine itself within the framework of republican legitimacy, decides to move forward, with or without the approval of the mayors and deputies, and sets the municipal elections, first for March 23, then for the 26th. The uprisings that occurred in the industrial cities of the provinces (Lyon, Marseille, Saint-Etienne, Le Creusot, Toulouse, Narbonne…) led to the belief that Paris was not isolated, and that the project of self-administration for Paris (free city) was feasible.
The situation remains uncertain, and negotiations continue between the mayors and the Central Committee. Indeed, the Central Committee does not control the entire city. The town halls of the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth arrondissements, as well as the Bank of France, are protected by battalions of the National Guard loyal to the order. Some mayors pretend to negotiate (in order to buy time).
"Every day, a growing number of opponents became hesitant, and many of the hesitant rallied. Saisset, after unnecessarily transferring 16 machine guns to Rue de la Banque, was reduced to dismissing his order men. Nothing had been as strange as the division of Paris into two camps. In the neighborhoods occupied by the Federates, people moved about freely, were joyful, and joy is kind. The cry of 'Long live the Republic' or 'Long live the Commune' echoed loudly and clearly. The revolutionary idea, initially vague, had focused on the election of a Commune and on profound social reform. The brotherhood of peoples was not forgotten either. Often, one could hear the battalions from the working-class neighborhoods descending the boulevards, going to stand guard at Place Vendôme or at the City Hall, shouting while the music played the Marseillaise and the red flags and banners fluttered in the wind: 'Long live the universal Republic!' Such were the aspirations of this so-maligned people. In the neighborhoods occupied by the bourgeois, it was not the same; anyone who looked like a working-class person was arrested, and in the groups, there was constant shouting against the looters, the brigands, the drunken working-class people (...) In three days, these gentlemen had made at least 600 arrests." (Benoit Malon, The Third Defeat of the French Proletariat)
On March 24, Admiral Saisset, appointed by the mayors as the superior commander of the National Guard, issues a misleading proclamation stating that all the demands of the people of Paris would be met; this is completely false! This forces Thiers to resort to delaying tactics in the face of an Assembly that, after overcoming its initial shock, has now locked itself in a deafness filled with hatred.
The Central Committee entrusts military power to Emile Duval, Emile Eudes, and Antoine Brunel. The latter three are designated as "generals pending the arrival of General Garibaldi, acclaimed as the chief general." Antoine Brunel, Maxime Lisbonne, and Eugène Protot occupy the town halls of the first and second districts, as well as the Saint-Lazare train station.
Ultimately, 46 elected officials (7 deputies, 7 mayors, 32 deputies), aware that the Assembly will refuse any concessions, agree to hold municipal elections in Paris on March 26, in accordance with the decision of the Central Committee.
Elections of March 26, 1871 :
From March 19, 1871, the question that arose was the political legitimacy of the Parisian insurrection and the sovereignty of Paris. During the week of uncertainty, negotiations between the Central Committee of the National Guard and the mayors and deputies of Paris led to the holding of municipal elections whose objective was to appoint representatives of the people of Paris. The following question then arose: should a municipal council be formed, separate from the district town halls and exercising their authority over them, or should a Revolutionary Committee be elected? The answer varied according to the districts and the candidates. However, the district mayors and candidates agreed on this point: Paris did not intend to impose its revolution on the rest of France. But of course, let us not forget the confrontation between the supporters of an insurrectional movement that was victorious on March 18, and the supporters of order.
Poster from March 25, 1871
The campaign was brief, and opinion was divided between three factions. Supporters of the government advocated abstention. The "conciliators" relied on the moderate candidates of the incumbent mayors or their deputies. The Commune party included the Central Committee of the National Rank, the Central Committee of the Twenty Arrondissements, and the Internationalists. All Parisian newspapers acknowledged that the elections were peaceful. Voting ended late in the evening.
On Sunday, March 26, 1871, the Communards won 190,000 votes, compared to 40,000 votes for the reactionary pro-order voters. The electoral lists included 475,000 registered voters. However, as Jean-Louis Robert points out, this figure is debatable, as additional registrations must not be overlooked; "In all of Paris, how many votes did the candidates in favor of the Commune receive? The matter is very complex because there are multiple candidates in favor of the Commune who disperse and affect the total number of votes in favor. If we stick to the candidate in favor of the Commune who obtained the most votes, district by district, we are therefore slightly below the reality. This total rises to 162,000 votes, or 72% of voters and 34% of registered voters" (Jean-Louis Robert, Nouvelle histoire de la Commune de Paris, 2023).
The establishment of the Commune thus truly responded to a strong popular will, even if it must be admitted that this popular will was not overwhelming, given the abstentions. Unsurprisingly, there is a gap between the working-class districts of eastern Paris, where support for the communalist revolution was undeniably massive. For example, in the twentieth arrondissement, the Communes obtained more than 80% of the vote. In the bourgeois districts of the West and Center (1st, 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 16th), the Communes and the reactionaries were on a par, in the context of record abstention.
Ultimately, among the 85 elected officials, 70 were Commune members. On March 28, 200,000 people greeted the Proclamation of the Commune from the balcony of the Hôtel de Ville.
Subsequently, due to resignations and the deaths of Gustave Flourens on April 3 and Émile Duval on April 4, the Council of the Commune is left with nearly a third of its councilors missing. Supplementary elections are therefore scheduled for April 5, but they are first postponed to the 10th and finally to the 16th. This time, the abstention rate is very high. In this context, the Commune decides that only candidates who have obtained an absolute majority of the votes from the voters will be elected. This decision is adopted by 26 votes to 13. Due to new resignations, the Council of the Commune is once again not complete.
Here is the list of elected officials. I have provided details about each official (age, profession, role before and after March 26). Of course, I don't have time to give more details about the role of the elected officials during the Commune (I will discuss this in a future post).
1. Internationalists elected officials.
Charles Amouroux - 28 years old - Hat maker - Member of the Central Committee of the National Guard - 4th arrondissement
Jules Andrieu - 46 years old - Prefecture employee - 4th arrondissement Member of the second Executive Commission formed on April 20
Armand-Antoine Arnaud - 40 years old - Employee - Member of the Central Committee of the National Guard - Member of the first Executive Commission formed on March 29
Arthur Arnould - 38 years old - Journalist - 4th and 7th arrondissements - Member of the Minority in May
Augustin Avrial - 31 years old - Commander of the 66th Battalion of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement - Member of the Minority in May
Jules Babick - 51 years old - Perfumer - Signer of the Red Poster of January 6 - 10th arrondissement - Member of the Minority in May
Charles Beslay - 75 years old - Engineer - Signer of the Red Poster of January 6 - 6th arrondissement
Louis Chalain - 26 years old - Turner - 17th arrondissement - Minority in May.
Jean-Baptiste Chardon (also a Blanquist) - 32 years old - Boiler worker - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 13th arrondissement.
Adolphe Clémence - 33 years old - Bookbinding worker - Signer of the Red Poster of January 6 - 4th arrondissement - Minority in May.
Gustave Cluseret - 48 years old - Officer - 1st and 18th arrondissement - Member of the second Executive Commission
Antoine Demay - 49 years old - Sculptor worker - 3rd arrondissement - Second Committee of Public Safety in May
Simon Dereure - 33 years old - Shoemaker worker - 18th arrondissement
Jacques-Louis Durand - 54 years old - Shoemaker worker - He resigns on April 16. Léo Frankel – 27 years old – Jewelry worker – Central Committee of the National Guard – 13th arrondissement – Minority in May.
Charles-Ferdinand Gambon (also a Jacobin) - 51 years old - Magistrate - 10th arrondissement - Second Committee of Public Safety in May
Charles Gérardin - 44 years old - Painter - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 17th arrondissement - Minority in May
Jules-Paul Johannard (also Jacobin) - 28 years old - Market trader - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 2nd arrondissement
Camille Langevin - 28 years old - Turner - 15th arrondissement - Minority in May
Gustave Lefrançais - 45 years old - Teacher - 4th arrondissement - First Executive Commission - Minority in May
Charles Longuet - 32 years old - Journalist - 16th arrondissement - Minority in May
Benoit Malon - 30 years old - Dye worker - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 17th arrondissement - Minority in May
Léo Melliet - 30 years old - Clerk - First Committee of Public Safety
Jules Martelet (also Jacobin) - 28 years old - Painter - 14th arrondissement
Jules Miot - 61 years old - Pharmacist - 19th arrondissement
Henri Mortier (also Blanquist) - 26 years old - Wood cutter - Central Committee of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement
Charles Ostyn - 48 years old - Turner - Central Committee of the National Guard - 9th arrondissement - Minority in May
Emile Oudet (also Jacobin) - 45 years old - Painter - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 19th arrondissement
Jean-Jacques Pillot (also Blanquist) - 63 years old - Doctor (And to think he's a former priest ! Well done to him for leaving the Church !) - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 1st arrondissement
Jean-Louis Pindy - 31 years old - Carpenter - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - - Central Committee of the National Guard - 3rd arrondissement - Minority in May
Eugène Pottier (Elected on April 16) - 55 years old - Fabric designer then chansonnier - 2nd arrondissement
Félix Pyat (also Jacobin) - 61 years old - Journalist - 10th arrondissement - Member of the first Executive Commission formed on March 29 - First Committee of Public Safety
Gabriel Ranvier (also Blanquist) - 43 years old - Painter - Central Committee of the National Guard - 20th arrondissement - Two Committees of Public Safety in May
Dominique Régère - 55 years old - Veterinarian - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 5th arrondissement
Auguste Serraillier - 31 years old - Shoemaker - 2nd arrondissement -Minority in May
Albert Theisz - 32 years old - Carver - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 12th and 17th arrondissements - Minority in May
Edouard Vaillant (also Blanquist) - 31 years old - Teacher - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - Member of both Executive Commissions - 8th arrondissement - Minority in May
Eugène Varlin - 31 years old - Bookbinder - Central Committee of the National Guard - 6th, 12th, and 17th arrondissements - Minority in May
Augustin Verdure - 46 years old - Accountant - 11th arrondissement
Pierre Vésinier (also Jacobin) - 48 years old - Journalist - 1st arrondissement
Emile Duval (also Blanquist) - 31 years old - Founder - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - Two Committees of Public Safety in May.
Jules Andrieu, Jean-Paul Johannard, and Charles Longuet were elected in the by-elections of April 16.
2. Blanquist Elected Officials:
Auguste Blanqui (but imprisoned in Cahors) - 66 years old - Journalist - 20th arrondissement
Jean-Baptiste Chardon - 32 years old - Metalworker - 13th arrondissement
Simon Dereure - 18th arrondissement - 33 years old - Shoemaker Emile Duval
Emile Eudes - 28 years old - Employee - Central Committee of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement - First Executive Commission - Second Committees of Public Safety in May
Théophile Ferré - 26 years old - Accountant - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 18th arrondissement
Jules Martelet - 28 years old - Painter - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 14th arrondissement
Henri Mortier - 26 years old - Wood cutter - Central Committee of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement
Jean-Jacques Pillot (also Blanquist) - 63 years old - Doctor (And to think he's a former priest ! Well done to him for leaving the Church !) - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 1st arrondissement
Eugène Protot 33 years old - Lawyer - 11th arrondissement - Member of the second Executive Commission formed on April 20
Gabriel Ranvier (also Blanquist) - 43 years old - Painter - Central Committee of the National Guard - 20th arrondissement - Two Committees of Public Safety in May
Gustave Tridon - 5th arrondissement - 30 years old - Journalist
3.Jacobin Elected Officials:
Antoine Brunel - 41 years old - Officer - 7th arrondissement
Henry Champy - 25 years old - Cutler - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - 10th arrondissement
Frédéric Cournet - 32 years old - Journalist - 19th arrondissement
Charles Delescluze - 62 years old - Journalist - 11th and 19th arrondissements - Second Commitee of Public Safety in May
Aminthe Dupont - 29 years old - Bank employee - 17th arrondissement
Clovis Dupont - 41 years old - Basket maker - Central Committee of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement
Gustave Flourens - 33 years old - Professor - 20th arrondissement
Eugène Gérardin - 28 years old - Broker - 17th arrondissement
Paschal Grousset - 27 years old - Journalist - 18th arrondissement - Second Executive Commission in May
Fortuné Henry - 49 years old - Journalist - Signatory of the Red Poster on January 6 - Central Committee of the National Guard - 10th arrondissement.
4. Other elected officials
Jules Allix - 53 years old - Teacher - 8th arrondissement
Adolphe-Alphonse Assi – 30 years old – Mechanic and Freemason – Colonel of the National Guard – Central Committee of the National Guard – 11th arrondissement – Minority in May
Etienne Breslay – 45 years old – Textile merchant then economist – 2nd arrondissement
Emile-Leopold Clément - 47 years old – Dye worker – 15th arrondissement - Minority in May
Jean-Baptiste Clément – 45 years old – Songwriter – Member of the 129th battalion of the National Guard - 18th arrondissement
Victor Clément - 35 yeards old - Songwriter - 15th arrondissement
Gustave Courbet - 52 years old – Painter - 6th arrondissement – Member of the minority in May
Jean-Baptiste Geresme – 45 years old – Chair worker – Central Committee of the National Guard - 11th arrondissement
François Jourde – 28 years old - Accountant - 5th arrondissement – Central Committee of the National Guard, then Minority
Charles Ledroit – 53 years old – Photographer - 5th arrondissement
Ernest Lefèvre - 38 years old - Journalist at Le Rappel - 7th arrondissement – Resigned on April 6
Charles Loiseau-Pinson - 56 years old – Dye worker – 2nd arrondissement – Resigned on March 29
Jules Méline – 33 years old – Lawyer – 1st arrondissement - Resigned on March 29
Charles Murat – 53 years old – Jewelry worker - 3rd arrondissement - Resigned on April 2
Ulysse Parent – 43 years old – Painter, illustrator, and designer of art objects - 9th arrondissement – Resigned on April 5
François-Louis Parisel - 30 years old – Doctor – 7th arrondissement- First Commission of Subsistence
Philippe (Jean Fenouillas) – 42 years old - 12th arrondissement
Ernest Puget – 45 years old – Porcelain painter then accountant – Signatory of the Red Poster in January – 19th arrondissement
Arthur Ranc - 40 years old – Journalist – 9th arrondissement
Paul Rastoul – 36 years old – Doctor - 10th arrondissement
Auguste Sicard – 42 years old – Artisan – Signatory of the Red Poster (January 6, 1871) - 7th arrondissement (elected on April 16)
Jules Vallès – 39 years old – Journalist, founder of Le Cri du Peuple (February 22, 1871); future writer – Signatory of the Red Poster (January 6, 1871) - 15th arrondissement – Minority in May
Auguste Vermorel – 30 years old – Journalist at La Réforme - 18th arrondissement - Minority in May
Auguste Viard
I will provide more details about the characters in a future post.
Here is what Jules Vallès writes in Le Cri du Peuple about the elections of March 26:
"What a day! This warm and clear sun that gilds the mouths of cannons, this scent of bouquets, the shiver of flags! The murmur of this Revolution that passes quietly and beautifully like a blue river, these tremors, these glimmers, these brass fanfares, these bronze reflections, these bursts of hope, these fragrances of honor—there is enough here to intoxicate with pride and joy the victorious army of republicans!
Oh great Paris!
Cowards that we were, we were already talking about leaving you and distancing ourselves from your suburbs that we thought were dead!
Forgive us, homeland of honor, city of salvation, bivouac of the Revolution!
Whatever happens, even if we are to be defeated again and die tomorrow, our generation is consoled! We are paid back for twenty years of defeat and anguish.
Let the trumpets sound in the wind, drums, beat in the fields!
Embrace me, comrade, who, like me, has gray hair! And you, little one, who plays marbles behind the barricade, come let me hug you too!
March 18 saved you beautifully, kid! You could, like us, grow up in the fog, wade through the mud, roll in blood, die of hunger and die of shame, feel the unspeakable pain of the dishonored!
It’s over!
We have bled and cried for you. You will inherit our legacy. Son of the desperate, you will be a free man."
I quote Benoit Malon: "Alas! This lukewarm spring atmosphere was already laden with dreadful storms, and the threads of the desperate will have many tears of blood to shed still! (...) Yes, the bourgeois order will unfortunately be restored once again through the massacre in Paris. But how much blood will the monarchical aspirations, the blindness, the obstinacy, and the cruelty of this bloodthirsty Assembly and this ferocious old man cost us!" (Benoit Malon, La troisième défaite du prolétariat français).
[As I told you, a upcoming post about March 28 and 29 is being written :) Sorry, I’m tired, it’s been a tough week ^^]
