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In 1870, the Prussian Chancellor Bismarck engineered a war with France, under its Emperor Napoleon III. The two nations fought each other mainly in north-eastern France. The Prussians and their German allies defeated the French at the Battle of Sedan and captured the Emperor and they then proceeded to besiege Paris. In the city, the local defence was often in the hands of the the local militia, the National Guard and they were organised on the basis of neighbourhoods. At this time, many citizens of Paris, especially in the poorer neighbourhoods, effectively governed themselves, as they were cut off from the control of the central government, during the Prussian siege. A new provisional French government was located in Bordeaux, far in the South-West of France. Many of the members of the National Guard had left-wing sympathies and they had long resented the autocratic rule of Napoleon III and were eager for change. <ref>Edwards, Stewart (1971). ''The Paris Commune 1871''. (London: Eyre & Spottiswoode), p. 67.</ref> Many of the more radical elements in the National Guard were radicals and wanted a revolution. Many of these were sympathetic to the first Socialist movement the ‘First International’.<ref>Stewart, p. 68.</ref> Many in Paris felt abandoned by the new French government and angry at their handling of the war effort.
There was growing frustration with the French army and the government for failing to lift the Prussian siege and after a large demonstration, the National Guard seized control of the government of the city. <ref> CobbanRobban, Alfred (1965), ''A History of Modern France '' (Hammondsworth, Penguin Books), p. 215.</ref> They began to organise the government of the city on Socialist and Anarchist lines and were committed to the defence of Paris against the besieging Germans. The Communards as they became known, organised an election, which they won. They organised the city on socialist principles and power was located with local committees.<ref>Cobban, p. 217.</ref> The rebels demanded a separation of Church and State, universal suffrage and some, demanded even the abolition of all private property. They also wanted the power to rest with the people and their local committees. The rebels saw themselves as the heirs of the Great French Revolutionaries such as Marat and Danton. The Communards as they became known, defied the new French government and sought to extend their rule throughout France.<ref>Merman, John (2014). ''Massacre: The Life and Death of the Paris Commune of 1871''. (New Haven and London: Yale University Pres). p. 81.</ref>
==The Suppression of the Communards==
