V. I. Lenin

Source: ru:LS/v26;es:MT
Translated: machine translation (DeepSeek) from the Russian; AI-translated.

CONSPECTUS OF A REPORT ON THE PARIS COMMUNE
MARCH 1904

I.
1. France under Napoleon III. Government of the Bonapartists.
Industrial development.
Working-class movement — International Working Men's Association. {Proudhonism and Blanquism}
2. Dynastic war. Chauvinism (25 VII 70)
A Berlin*.
NB
Left bank of the Rhine. — (German declarations: defensive war)
3. Protests of the workers
— French manifesto. (Resolutions)
(Attitude of the working class)
— German protest.
— Address of the General Council of the International — warning to the workers: organise, do not be provoked
4. Course and outcome of the war.
— Fall of the venal regime.
— Siege of Paris.
— Proclamation of the Republic 4 IX 70. French workers — their business — the bourgeoisie used them.
Government of "National Defence (Defence)". (Rogues among them)
5. Defence of Paris. Comedy of Jules Favre (Trochu).
— his capitulation.
6. Attempt to disarm the proletariat. 18 III 71. The Commune.
7. Versailles government. Chamber of yokels, landlords (Ruraux, Krautjunker).
— Comedy of "peace" with Paris.
— Haggling with Bismarck
— Alliance with the German army against the proletariat
8. The Commune... Its minuses — lack of class-consciousness (Proudhonism and Blanquism)
— lack of organisation
did not take the bank
did not march on Versailles
9. + A) Political freedom
10. B) Economic reforms
— interweaving of nationalist elements:
— separation of church from state,
— abolition of the standing army.
— abolition of bureaucracy
— full rights for foreigners.
Participation of Poles.
— self-government of communes (commune)
— prohibition of night work for bakers
— prohibition of fines
— postponement of debts
— transfer of empty factories to the workers
— obligation (maintenance etc.) of any cohabitation with a woman
— payment (pension?) to every widow.
11. The final struggle.
Heroism of the Federals
Bloody Week
Balance 35,000
Terror.
12. Results and lessons:
Vengeance of the bourgeoisie
Challenge to battle
Bismarck 1871 and 1904
"435.

II.
I. (1) Napoleon III and his gang
2. Disgrace of France
3. Guilt of the bourgeoisie in Napoleon III.
II. 1. Dynastic war with Germany.
2. Protest of the French workers (Paris 12 VII and manifesto of the International 23 VII).
3. Solemn promise of William I (11 VIII)
His deception.
4. Protest of the German workers (5/IX 70) and their arrest.
III. 1. Republic 4 IX 70. Conquered by the Paris workers.
2. Seizure of power by rogues (Favre, Trochu, Thiers — ticket of leave men)
3. "Government of National Defence" = government of national betrayal. Struggle against the French workers.
IV. Warning of Marx (Manifesto of the International 9 IX 70)
Letters of Dupont
V. 1. Conspiracy of slave-owners and monarchists to disarm Paris.
2. Bordeaux and transfer of the National Assembly to Versailles.
3. Dispatch of Vinoy, Valentin and de Paladines to Paris.
4. Monarchist speeches in the assembly of "yokels"
VI. Beginning of the civil war by Thiers: seizure of the cannons 18 III 71. (murder of Lecomte and Clément Thomas)
VII. 18 III 71. The Commune
1. Republic + self-government.
2. Measures of the Commune.
3. {{Its 2 mistakes}} (Did not march on Versailles
" did not take the bank)
VIII. War with the Commune: begging for soldiers from Bismarck, shameful peace. Bloody Week 21—8 V 71.
20,000 according to bourgeois newspapers.
Killed — 35,000
Sentenced by courts — 13,450 (incl. 157 women) (1 5½ years after 18 III the courts were still going on!).

III.
IN MEMORY OF THE PARIS COMMUNE.
Celebration of the greatest working-class uprising of the 19th century. Historical sketch.
1. France under Napoleon III.
Imperialism. (p. 45) — payment for June 1848. Napoleon III.
— Expropriation of France by a gang of bandits.
a. Bonapartism ( workers not yet capable \
\ bourgeoisie no longer )
b. Rapid industrial development. Orgies of plutocracy. Prosperity of speculation. Venality.
c. — Working-class movement — International Working Men's Association
1862 London Exhibition
— 1864 foundation
Proudhonism \
Blanquism /
2. Dynastic war. Salvation of the gang of adventurers — chauvinism.
Left bank of the Rhine. A Berlin (especially after 1866)
25 VII 70 war declared.
German declarations (W. II.): defensive war.
(p. 20. in the throne speech: war with Napoleon III, not with the French people; likewise 11 VIII 70 in the manifesto to the French when crossing the border).
3. Protests of the workers.
— French manifesto 12 VII 70 (p. 16) (and resolutions in the provinces) 22 VII 70 (pp. 16-17)
Manifesto of the Paris members of the International of 12 VII (p. 18).
— German protest (meeting in Chemnitz) (p. 18)
(meeting in Brunswick 16 VII 70) — Berlin section of the International.
— Address of the General Council of the International 1) 23 VII 70 against the war
4. Outcome of the war.
Sedan 2 IX 70. Captivity of Napoleon III., Debacle.
Fall of the venal regime.
Proclamation of the Republic 4 IX 70 by the workers in Paris.
Power in the hands of rogues, | power — delegates from
police minister of Louis | Paris in the legislative
Philippe — Thiers, General Tro- | body
chu. Jules Favre, Jules Ferry,
Ernest Picard.
. . . "Government of National Defence". . .
National defence = arming of the workers = revolution.
Government of national betrayal.
Defence... from the Paris workers.
5. Advice of the International
2nd address of the General Council (9 IX 70) (p. 25).
"Do not let yourselves be provoked into a desperate folly."
"Do not be blinded by national memories of 1792."
"Calmly and resolutely organise your class", use full freedom.
6. Siege of Paris. Comedy of Trochu
(never!) and
Jules Favre (not an inch of ground!)
Capitulation of Paris. 28 I 71
Comedy of defence: Gio wrote to Suzanne about one of his protégés: let him direct [fire] on Mont Valerien, where supposedly cannons are firing.
7. National Assembly in Bordeaux.
— Chamber of yokels. Reactionaries.
— Comedy of peace with Paris.
Striving to disarm Paris ("disarmament of the revolution" 4 IX 70)
Alliance with the German army against Paris.
Supposedly the cannons of the National Guard belong to the state! Lie! pp. 36-37.
Central Committee of the German Social-Democratic Party protested against the annexation of Alsace-Lorraine (Arrest of Bracke and others)
Under the terms of the capitulation (28 I 71) (p. 34), the National Assembly had to be convened within 8 days (!).
Thiers' agitation for a reactionary assembly, legitimists etc. (450 monarchists out of 750 members).
Conspiracy against Paris: Thiers' measures (p. 35).
1) anti-republican demonstration of the National Assembly
2) ambiguity of Thiers' expressions.
3) Threat to Paris (decapitate [decapitalise])
4) prohibition of republican newspapers.
5) Death sentence for Blanqui.
6) Appointment of Vinoy as governor of Paris, Valentin as police prefect, D'Aurelle de Paladines as commander of the National Guard
8. Attempt to seize the cannons, 18 III 71 (Vinoy.)
Failure /
(of the National Guard).
The Commune.
18 III.
Flight of the government to Versailles.
Shooting of Lecomte and Clément Thomas, Bonapartist officers, not the deed of the Commune, but of outraged soldiers.
Manifesto of 18 III: p. 43.
18 III 71. Central Committee of the National Guard
26 III 71. The Commune.
Clericals, Bonapartists, gendarmes
From the beginning of April war of Paris with Versailles.
Begging for troops (prisoners) from Bismarck (pp. 57-58).
9. Affairs of the Commune:
Its minuses: — lack of class-consciousness (Proudhonists, Blanquists)
— lack of or- { did not take the bank,
ganisation } did not march on
Versailles.
— infatuation with nationalist and revolutionary phrase.
10. Its pluses:
Abolition of all state payments to the church
Free public education (p. 46).
managed with 1/4 of the former number of officials. Lissagaray
A) Political reforms
a. separation of church (1) electivity and remov-
from state (2 IV 71). Expro- ability of all officials.
priation of church property. (p. 46)
1 IV 71.
b. abolition of the standing ar- (2) Low salary not > 6000
my (p. 46) (30 III 71) Francs
Regierungsfähig.
c. abolition of bureaucracy. Government of the workers (p. 49).
d. Full rights for foreigners (30 III 71) (one German — minister of the Commune) (p. 53).
Participation of Poles (Dombrowski, Wroblewski).
e. Self-government of communes.
The banner of the Commune is the banner of the world republic.
11. B) Economic reforms.
— Prohibition of night work for bakers (20 IV) (p. 53);
— Prohibition of fines (p. 53).
— [Postponement of debts] The Commune attracted to itself a mass of Parisian petty bourgeoisie, ruined (p. 51) by Napoleon III (postponement of debts). — The Commune appeals to the peasants (p. 51).
— Transfer of abandoned factories (p. 54) to workers' cooperatives 16 IV:
statistical census of factories
[ — obligation to answer financially for any cohabitation with a woman]
Transformation of Paris of idlers and pleasure-seekers into a working Paris (pp. 55-6).
12. The final struggle.
— Heroism of the Federals
(Elections of mayors 30 IV against the National Assembly.
Thiers yields to Bismarck: 10 V signs the peace treaty in Frankfurt 21 V ratified by the National Assembly).
— Bloody Week 21-28 V 71. (p. 62).
The rifle is not enough
mitrailleuse
— Balance 35,000 — 20,000 killed.
15,000 deported etc.
(For several years the courts worked.)
Chorus of slander (pp. 64-66)
13. Results and lessons. Vengeance of the bourgeoisie. Even "national war" became a political swindle (p. 67).
Betrayed the fatherland (Alliance with the Germans: p. 66)
Instability of bourgeois democracy.
Dictatorship of the proletariat.
Bismarck 1871. Cf. 1904.