Finished reading "The Civil War in France" by Karl Marx. Originally a pamphlet, it was a seminal work on the 1871 Paris Commune.
On March 18 that year, Parisian workers overthrew an oppressive government and set up their own governing authority which they called a commune. They administered Paris on a shoestring budget and improved the living conditions of the common people.
Alas, the Paris Commune lasted only 71 days. It was crushed by the forces of former ruler Louis Bonaparte with some help from Prussia (Germany). To this day workers' organizations worldwide remember with immense respect the heroes and martyrs of the Paris Commune.
