Changes

In 1871, in Paris, there was one of the first modern left-wing revolutions in the world. It came amidst a background of war and siege. The Paris Commune as the revolution was known, sought to implement some of the most radical ideas of the French Revolution. The revolutionaries were much influenced by anarchism and were in many ways the precursors the Soviet Communist in Russian in the early 20th century. The Paris Commune was ultimately defeated, but it served as a model for many revolutionaries at the time and to the present day.

==The Suppression of the Communards==

After the French government agreed to a peace treaty with the Germans, the war between it and the Communards was inevitable. The new French government, under Adolphe Thiers, decided to crush the Communards and their movement. With secret German, help, who were still occupying territory around France, they despatched a large military force to Paris. <ref>Cobain, p. 218.</ref> When the Communards refused to hand over some cannon over to the French army, this was to provide the French army with the excuse it needed to crush the National Guard and all those who supported the Paris Commune.

==Conclusion==

The Paris Commune was a failed revolution. It attempted to fulfil the more radical ideas of the French Revolution in 1789. It was savagely repressed and there was to be no similar revolution in France until 1968. The repression of the Communards encouraged many left-wing groups to adopt more violent tactics and in the decades after the revolt, terrorism became a feature of European life. The ideas and the example of the Commune of 1871, were to have a decisive influence on both Marx and Lenin and continues to this day, in left-wing circles.