An anniversary that
shouldn't go unnoticed, March, 18, 1871 the workers of Paris along with
some mutinous National Guardsmen took control of the city and started
to build their new world. It has become known as The Paris Commune, or The Commune of Paris, sadly it only lasted until May, 28, 1871. A
few months when a desperate grasp for freedom by the people had a
tenuous hold. For this attempt at realising a better world, the power
of reaction came down hard. The end of May, 1871 saw the streets of
Paris run as rivers of blood as the authorities slaughtered in excess
of 30,000 people in the city of Paris. For those few months, the
workers ruled their own lives, made their own decisions, lived the
dream they carried in their hearts. This is something that an
authoritarian society will not tolerate at any price, and the price
the workers of Paris paid was high indeed. The Paris Commune was
probably the first real attempt, by the workers to take control of
their own lives, since the start of the industrial age. I'm sure it
will not be the last, that dream is still carried in our hearts.
