University of Santa Clara - Redwood Yearbook (Santa Clara, CA)

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The Paris Commune Leo Louis Gairaud HE affairs of the Com- mune of Paris are so closely interwoven with those of the French Revolution that to fully understand all the forces at play, it will be necessary to take a short survey of the causes of the Revolution itself; the manner of life, habits and customs of the people of the city; and the state of Paris at that period. The Commune of Paris was the name given to the insurrectionary govern- ment, which, through its commissioners elected by the Sections, usurped the supreme authority. It was the munici- pal government, or Council General, of the Sections of the city, of which there were originally sixty electing delegates to the Council. The Council General was elected by universal suffrage, and from its members, the Mayor of Paris was selected by the central govern- ment; or, if not selected by them, was appointed by those in authority. The Council General was responsible for the maintenance of order to the Direc- tory of the Department of the Seine. A portion of the time during which the Commune held sway is known as the Reign of Terror. In the administrative system of France the Commune is generally the lowest unit. It corresponds in the ru- ral districts to the English parish or township, and in towns to the English municipality. While Paris was always governed by a Commune, the name has been applied to those revolutionary dis- turbances with which Paris seemed to delight. Thus the Commune has come to denote those specific times only, as distinguished from the ordinary gov- ernment. Paris was, during the eighteenth cen- tury, the center of learning, not only of France, but of the whole of Europe. To Paris flocked all the youths of the country. All those who wished to become famous in their chosen field of work, went to Paris and studied. Lou- is XV encouraged and helped the arts. He did not disturb the free utterances of the people, feeling that, if the peo- ple were free to talk and write, they would not wish to put their thoughts into action. On this account, there issued from Paris all the important papers, or pamphlets, many of which, political in character, had to be printed in foreign countries because of a special censure, and were shipped to Paris for distribu- tion. Before the revolution, Paris was the

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Entered Dec. 18, 1902, at Santa Clara, Cal., as second-class matter, under Act of Congress of March 3, 1879 VOL. XVI SANTA CLARA, CAL., OCTOBER, 1916 No. 1 Jprontl in lago © J. CHARLES MURPHY OWN by tke sKore wkere the crested waves skiver and dance and gleam, Down wkere tke flasking, sunlit spray laugks like a ckild in a dream ; Have you ever keard tke roaring surge drone its monotony ? Have you ever peered beyond tke swell, and looked far out to sea ? Now I can kear tke swisk and tke roar and tke moan of tke surf below, Now I can kear tke breakers roll, steady and sure and slow ; But tke melanckoly groaning song is a noble sympkony, For I peer beyond tke keaving swell, and look far out to sea.

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THE REDWOOD hotbed of reactionary ideas. Journals, pamphlets, and demagogues influenced the people to a great extent. When it is considered that a majority of the people of Paris were uneducated and poor, it is not astonishing how easily their passions were aroused; how easi- ly they were led; and how easily they were bent to the wishes of their un- principled leaders. The infamous Duke of Orleans threw open his Palais Royal to the people, and it soon be- came the news-centre of the city, where the majority of the journals were published, and where Camille Desmou- lins first roused the Paris mob in 1789, on the news of the dismissal of their favorite and friend, Neckar, from the cabinet, to rise and assert their rights. The events leading up to the usurpa- tion of the supreme authority by the Commune in 1792 must be examined. They will throw great light on the feel- ings of the people, and the means made use of by a few unprincipled men for their own benefit. There were three orders in France, the Nobles, the Clergy, and the labor- ing classes. The nobility and clergy were exempt from paying taxes on the basis of old feudal rights and conces- sions made by some of the early French Kings. This left only the laboring classes to furnish the vast amount of money needed to support the court in luxury and pay for the numerous wars. This heavy taxation, double in its char- acter as national taxes and as feudal tithes to their lords, fell most severely on the poorer classes. The wheat crops of the several years preceding the Re- volution were insufficient to meet the needs of the country because of heavy drouths. The lower classes were una- ble to buy bread in the winter time and starvation faced them nearly every year. This fact gave their leaders a decided advantage over the mobs. They used their hunger as a bait to lure the people on. They promised to give them plenty of food, and held out to the rab- ble promises of a time when they would not have to work and everything would be theirs. Such were the direct causes of the Revolution. The people demanded the convoca- tion of the States-General, which had not been called since 1614. Here the Tiers Etat or Third Estate, com- posed of the lower classes, wished the abolition of all exemptions and that the other classes should sit with them. This was refused by the King, and the Third Estate declared themselves the Nation- al Assembly, and again invited the oth- er orders to participate with them in their debates. Paris, on hearing the news, and in- flamed by the licentious journals full of the revolutionary teachings of Rous- seau, Marat, Robespierre, Desmoulins, and others, arose, and constituted a new government, with Bailly, the rep- resentative of Paris at the States-Gen- eral, as Mayor. The Guard of the city deserted the King and joined the Na- tional Guard, a new organization form- ed by the National Assembly. The