The Fall of Paris: Siege and Commune, 1870–1871

In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War broke out. The French Emperor Napoleon III was swiftly defeated and captured at Sedan, but the collapse of the Empire did not bring the war to an end. The newly formed Government of National Defense continued to hold out in Paris. The people of Paris suffered through bombardment and famine, while French attempts to break out and relieve the city ended in bitter failure. The Government of National Defense ultimately chose to sue for peace with Prussia on humiliating terms, and the resulting anger and disillusionment sparked the Commune uprising, which shocked the world.

Drawing on a wealth of previously unpublished primary sources, the author depicts the climactic moments of those dramatic ten months. His powerful prose, together with the many firsthand accounts left by those who lived through the events, brings that distant history vividly back to life.