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Louis Charles Delescluze (; 2 October 1809 – 25 May 1871) was a French revolutionary leader, journalist, and military commander of the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
.


Biography


Early life

Delescluze was born at Dreux, Eure-et-Loir. He studied law in Paris, and became a member of several secret republican societies. He also took part in the
July revolution of 1830 The French Revolution of 1830, also known as the July Revolution (), Second French Revolution, or ("Three Glorious ays), was a second French Revolution after the first of 1789–99. It led to the overthrow of King Charles X, the French B ...
which overthrew the Bourbon monarchy and placed King
Louis-Philippe Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
into power. In 1836, he was forced to take refuge in
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
, where he devoted himself to republican journalism. He returned to France in 1840 and settled in
Valenciennes Valenciennes (, also , , ; ; or ; ) is a communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department, Hauts-de-France, France. It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced ...
. After the
revolution of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...
, which toppled Louis-Philippe and created the
Second French Republic The French Second Republic ( or ), officially the French Republic (), was the second republican government of France. It existed from 1848 until its dissolution in 1852. Following the final defeat of Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterlo ...
, he moved to Paris, where he started a newspaper called ''La Révolution démocratique et sociale'' (''The Democratic and Social Revolution''), and founded the revolutionary organization named ''Solidarité républicaine.'' In June 1848 he and other revolutionaries made a failed attempt to overthrow the government of the new Republic, which was swiftly and violently repressed by the army under General
Louis-Eugène Cavaignac Louis-Eugène Cavaignac (; 15 October 1802 – 28 October 1857) was a French general and politician who served as head of the executive power of France between June and December 1848, during the French Second Republic. Born in Paris to a promi ...
. In March 1849 he was arrested and sentenced to one year in prison for criticizing Cavaignac. He was arrested again in April 1850, and sentenced to three years in prison; after which he fled from France to England. He returned secretly to France in 1853, but was arrested and condemned to ten years of prison and exile. He served his sentence at the prisons of Saint-Pelagie, Belle-Île, Carte and finally at
Devil's Island The penal colony of Cayenne ( French: ''Bagne de Cayenne''), commonly known as Devil's Island (''Île du Diable''), was a French penal colony that operated for 100 years, from 1852 to 1952, and officially closed in 1953, in the Salvation Islan ...
in
French Guiana French Guiana, or Guyane in French, is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France located on the northern coast of South America in the Guianas and the West Indies. Bordered by Suriname to the west ...
. Throughout his six-year imprisonment, he composed a memoir that, in 1869, was published in Paris as ''De Paris à Cayenne, Journal d'un transporté (From Paris to Cayenne, diary of a transport)''. In 1859, he and other political prisoners were granted amnesty by Emperor
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
and in November 1860 he returned to France, weakened by illness. His next venture was the publication of the ''Réveil'', a radical newspaper supporting the new socialist
International Workingmen's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA; 1864–1876), often called the First International, was a political international which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, social democratic, communist, and anarchist g ...
, which was founded in 1864. This journal brought him three condemnations, a fine and imprisonment in a single year, was finally suppressed; and he again fled to Belgium.


Paris Commune

The rapid defeat of the French Army in the 1870
Franco-German War The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the War of 1870, was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the North German Confederation led by the Kingdom of Prussia. Lasting from 19 July 1870 to 28 Jan ...
and capture of the Emperor at the
Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Napoleon III, Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and ...
brought a sudden end to the Second Empire and the proclamation of the French Republic. The new government, headquartered in Bordeaux, tried to continue the war. On September 8, Delescluze returned to Paris and plunged back into revolutionary politics, agitating against the new national government. In November 1870, he was mayor of the working-class 19th arrondissement. The Germans surrounded Paris and began a long siege and began a bombardment of the city. On 28 January 1871, after the city had suffered thousands of deaths from starvation and disease, the Government of National Defense signed an armistice with the Germans. Delescluze's denounced the armistice and called for an armed struggle against the Government of National Defense. The revolutionaries tried unsuccessfully to seize the Hotel de Ville, and Delescluze's newspaper was briefly closed down. On 18 March, the French army attempted to remove a large number of cannons stored in a depot on the heights of
Montmartre Montmartre ( , , ) is a large hill in Paris's northern 18th arrondissement of Paris, 18th arrondissement. It is high and gives its name to the surrounding district, part of the Rive Droite, Right Bank. Montmartre is primarily known for its a ...
but they were blocked by soldiers of the Paris National Guard. The soldiers seized and killed two French Army generals, Claude Lecomte and
Jacques Léon Clément-Thomas Jacques or Jacq are believed to originate from the Middle Ages in the historic northwest Brittany region in France, and have since spread around the world over the centuries. To date, there are over one hundred identified noble families related t ...
. The revolutionary leaders of Paris, including Delescluze, swiftly organized elections for a new revolutionary government, called the
Paris Commune The Paris Commune (, ) was a French revolutionary government that seized power in Paris on 18 March 1871 and controlled parts of the city until 28 May 1871. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–71, the French National Guard (France), Nation ...
. Half of Parisians, mostly those in the more wealthy neighborhoods in the west of the city, abstained, but those in the working-class east voted in large numbers. On 26 March Delescluze was elected a member of the Commune from the 11th and 19th arrondissements, and resigned his seat in the National Assembly. On 27 March the Commune was formally proclaimed.


Revolutionary leader

Delescluze, because of his prestige and long revolutionary career, soon became a member of the major committees of the Commune; the foreign relations commission, the executive commission (4 April); the Committee of Public Safety (9 May) and, although he had no military experience, the civilian delegate of the War Committee (11 May), which made him effectively the military leader of the Commune. French explorer
Théodore Ber Théodore Ber (7 March 1820 – 21 November 1900), was a French archaeologist and anthropologist who spent most of his adult life in Peru. Although an amateur, his work was appreciated by some scholars and officially recognized by the French gover ...
, who had come back from
Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
to support the Commune, became Delescluze’s personal secretary. Delescluze and the other Commune members had little time to organize their new administration; after the killing of Generals Lecomte and Clément-Thomas, the French national government, led by chief executive
Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( ; ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian who served as President of France from 1871 to 1873. He was the second elected president and the first of the Third French Republic. Thi ...
, moved its headquarters to Versailles and began mobilizing the French army to recapture the city. The Commune organized its own military force, the National Guard, and established a Committee of Public Safety, modeled after the Committee of the same name in the French Revolution, to suppress opposition. Opposition newspapers were closed down and, beginning on 5 April, the Commune arrested the Archbishop of Paris and two hundred priests and other religious figures, proposing to trade them for
Auguste Blanqui Louis Auguste Blanqui (; 8 February 1805 – 1 January 1881) was a French socialist, political philosopher and political activist, notable for his revolutionary theory of Blanquism. Biography Early life, political activity and first impris ...
, a radical revolutionary leader held by the French government. Thiers refused. A new siege of Paris, by the French army, began, under the eyes of the German army, which still occupied the heights to the north and east of the city. As the army approached, Delescluze and the Commune voted to destroy symbols of the old government; the
Vendôme Column Vendôme (, ) is a subprefecture of the department of Loir-et-Cher, France. It is also the department's third-biggest commune with 15,856 inhabitants (2019). It is one of the main towns along the river Loir. The river divides itself at the ...
was pulled down on 16 May; the home of
Adolphe Thiers Marie Joseph Louis Adolphe Thiers ( ; ; 15 April 17973 September 1877) was a French statesman and historian who served as President of France from 1871 to 1873. He was the second elected president and the first of the Third French Republic. Thi ...
was emptied of his art collection and demolished on 16 May. On 21 May Delescluze and the Commune members were debating whether to punish the Commune military leader,
Gustave Cluseret Gustave Paul Cluseret (13 June 1823 – 22 August 1900) was a French soldier and politician who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War, and Delegate for War during the Paris Commune. Biography In the French Army C ...
for incompetence or treason when news came that the French Army had entered Paris, through a section of the city defenses that had inadvertently been left unmanned. The next day, Delescluze issued a proclamation, calling upon all Parisians to join in the fight against the army. Delescluze did not have any experience as a soldier, but he knew how to write stirring prose. This was his proclamation, which was printed and posted all over the city on the 22nd:
"TO THE PEOPLE OF PARIS: TO THE NATIONAL GUARD: Citizens! Enough of militarism, no more general staff with braid and gilding on their uniforms! Make way for the People, for fighters with bare arms! The hour of revolutionary war has sounded. The People don't know anything about clever maneuvers, but when they have a rifle in their hand, and pavement under their feet, they have nothing to fear from all the strategists of the royal military school. To arms, citizens! To arms! It is a question, as you know, of conquering or falling into the merciless hands of the reactionaries and clerics of Versailles, of those miserable ones who have, by their actions, delivered France to the Prussians, and who want to make us pay the ransom for their treason! If you desire that the generous amount of blood which has flowed like water for the last six weeks, shall not have been in vain; if you want to live in a France that is free and where all are equal; if you want to spare your children from your pain and misery; you will rise up like one man- and because of your formidable resistance, the enemy, who proudly imagines he will put you back into your yoke, will find himself shamed for his useless crimes by which he has been stained for the last two months. Citizens, your representatives will fight and die with you if needed; but, in the name of this glorious France, the mother of all popular revolutions, permanent home of the ideas of justice and solidarity which must be and will be the laws of the world, march at the enemy, and let your revolutionary energy show him that traitors can try to sell Paris, but that no one can surrender it or conquer it. The Commune is counting on you- count on the Commune!" Rougerie, Jacques, ''Paris libre 1871'' (2004), pg. 251–252, excerpt translated from French by D. Siefkin
Despite his bold words, the Commune was at a great disadvantage; the Commune forces were outnumbered by the army four or five to one; they had very few trained officers; and, most importantly, they had no plan for the defense of the city; Delescluze called upon each neighborhood to defend itself, which made it impossible for them to move or fight as a unified force. The battle for Paris took place between 21 and 28 May 1871, which became known later as the "
Bloody Week The ''Semaine sanglante'' ("") was a weeklong battle in Paris from 21 to 28 May 1871, during which the French Army recaptured the city from the Paris Commune. This was the final battle of the Paris Commune. Following the Treaty of Frankfur ...
". By 22 May, the army had captured Montmartre and the western part of the city. On 23 May, Delescluze and the leaders of the Commune were located inside the Hôtel de Ville. They gave orders for the burning of the
Tuileries Palace The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...
, the symbol of government authority, as well as the Palais de Justice, the
Cour des Comptes The ''Cour des Comptes'' (, "Court of Accounts") is France's supreme audit institution, under French law an administrative court. As such, it is independent from the legislative and executive branches of the French Government. However, the 1946 ...
, the
Palais de la Légion d'Honneur The Palais de la Légion d'Honneur (; Palace of the Legion of Honour), also known as the Hôtel de Salm (), is a historic building on the Rive Gauche, Left Bank of the Seine, River Seine in Paris, France. Originally built in the 1770s, and reb ...
, part of the
Palais-Royal The Palais-Royal () is a former French royal palace located on Rue Saint-Honoré in the 1st arrondissement of Paris. The screened entrance court faces the Place du Palais-Royal, opposite the Louvre Palace, Louvre. Originally called the Palais-Ca ...
, and other government buildings and institutions. On 24 May, as the army approached, Delescluze and the Commune leaders had to abandon the Hôtel de Ville. As soon as they left, the City Hall was set on fire, destroying the building and the city archives. The same day, on orders from the Committee of Public Safety, Archbishop Darboy and a dozen other hostages were executed. A group of Dominican priests was executed the following day. The fighting was bitter on both sides; Commune soldiers captured by the army were often shot without further formality.


Death and legacy

Delescluze and the remaining Communard leaders moved their headquarters to the city hall of the 13th arrondissement on rue Voltaire, but this neighborhood also was soon under attack by the army. At about 7:30 in the evening on the 25th, Delescluze put on his ceremonial sash as the chief executive of the Commune, and walked to the nearest defended Commune barricade, on Place Château-d'Eau. Unarmed, he climbed up to the top of the barricade, in clear view of the army soldiers, and was promptly shot dead. After the death of Delescluze, the fighting continued on the 26th and 27th, when a bloody battle was fought at
Père Lachaise A name suffix in the Western English-language naming tradition, follows a person's surname (last name) and provides additional information about the person. Post-nominal letters indicate that the individual holds a position, educational degree, a ...
cemetery. On 28 May, the last soldiers of the Commune surrendered and the fighting ended. Army casualties numbered 873 dead and 6,424 wounded. Commune casualties were never officially counted, but six to seven thousand Commune soldiers were buried in temporary graves and then reburied in city cemeteries, and another three thousand may have been buried in unmarked graves. 45,522 Commune prisoners were taken, most of whom were released. 3,417 were sentenced to deportation, 1,247 to life in prison, 3,359 to shorter terms, and 93 were condemned to death, of whom 23 were executed. There is no marked grave for Delescluze. Despite his absence and the reports that he had been killed, he was formally tried in his absence by a military tribunal and sentenced to death. In 1930, the city council of Paris voted to name a street in 11th arrondissement rue Charles-Delescluze.


References


Notes and citations


Bibliography

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Other sources

*Karl Marx, 'Le 13 juin', ''La Nouvelle Gazette Rhénane'', no. 26, 29 juin 1849. *Charles Delescluze: ''Affaire de la souscription Baudin : seul compte rendu complet, recueilli par la sténographie et revu par les défenseurs''. Paris: A. Le Chevalier 1868. *Charles Delescluze: ''De Paris à Cayenne: Journal d'un transporté / par Ch. Delescluze''. Paris: A. Le Chevalier 1869. *
Festschrift In academia, a ''Festschrift'' (; plural, ''Festschriften'' ) is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during their lifetime. It generally takes the form of an edited volume, containing contributions from the h ...
for Charles Delescluze: :
Jules Guesde Jules Bazile, known as Jules Guesde (; 11 November 1845 – 28 July 1922) was a French socialist journalist and politician. Guesde was the inspiration for a famous quotation by Karl Marx. Shortly before Marx died in 1883, he wrote a letter ...
: ''Le livre Rouge de la justice rurale: documents pour servir à l'histoire d'une république sans républicains; a la mémoire de Charles Delescluze''. Paris: Editions d'Histoire Sociale 1871. :Reprint 1968: ( d. parJ
les Bazille, dit Jules LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental S ...
G esde. Genève: Imprimerie Blanchard; éimpr.:Paris: Editions d'Histoire Sociale, 1868. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Delescluze, Louis Charles 1809 births 1871 deaths People from Dreux Politicians from Centre-Val de Loire Members of the International Workingmen's Association Members of the National Assembly (1871) Communards Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Far-left politicians in France People sentenced to death in absentia by France