Paris Commune: A Unique Experiment in Running a City for Its People (VOCABULARY Flashcards)

Vocabulary flashcards derived from Shelton Stromquist’s overview of the Paris Commune, focusing on key terms and concepts.

Paris Commune

A brief 1871 experiment in running Paris democratically for the public good, emphasizing municipal self-government and cooperative initiatives over private profiteering.

Versailles government

The central government based in Versailles that opposed and ultimately crushed the Paris Commune with troops.

National Guard

A city-based militia expanded by the Commune, organized in neighborhood units to defend Paris during the siege.

Localization of activity

Strategy of granting greater authority to local neighborhoods and arrondissements to govern and implement reforms.

Municipal elections (March 26, 1871)

Elections that produced a self-governing Commune council and shaped early policy directions.

Armistice (January 28, 1871)

Ceasefire with Prussia that included terms like annexation of Alsace-Lorraine and a large indemnity.

Haussmannization

The redesign of Paris by Baron Haussmann, creating wide boulevards and new urban spaces that reshaped class geography.

Haussmann’s Legacy

The long-term impact of Haussmann’s renovations on urban space and the potential for new working-class neighborhoods.

Municipal workshops

Publicly organized production spaces run by the Commune to empower workers locally.

Cooperatives (producer and consumer)

Democratic local economies formed to democratize ownership and distribution within municipalities.

Moratorium on rent payments

Temporary suspension of rents and debt collections during the siege to relieve workers.

Universalize power and property

A principle of expanding political control and economic ownership through municipal self-government.

April 19 Declaration

The Commune’s program outlining a federated, self-governing city with expanded services and liberties.

Proudhonist local associationism

A localist socialist vision emphasizing mutualist associations as the basis for governance.

Intermediate working class

A diverse urban class (building workers, artisans, shopkeepers, clerks, professionals) central to the Commune.

Marx’s The Civil War in France

Karl Marx’s analysis defending the Communards’ sacrifice and discussing state-dismantling vs. state-building.

Possibilists

Socialists who favored practical reforms within existing structures rather than revolutionary rupture.

Impossibilists

Socialists who pursued radical, revolutionary goals beyond incremental reform.

Communal liberties

Policies limiting central religious authority and expanding local political and civil autonomy.

Memory of the Commune

Decades of debate and remembrance shaping socialist identity and policy debates after 1871.