The Paradise of Association: Political Culture and Popular Organizations in the Paris Commune of 1871 PDF
Preview The Paradise of Association: Political Culture and Popular Organizations in the Paris Commune of 1871
The Paradise of Association The Paradise of Association Political Culture and Popular Organizations in the Paris Commune of 1871 Martin Phillip Johnson Ann Arbor or T he U n iv e rsity M ichigan P ress Copyright © by the University of Michigan 1996 All rights reserved Published in the United States of America by The University of Michigan Press Manufactured in the United States of America @ Printed on acid-free paper 1999 1998 1997 1996 4 3 2 1 No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, or otherwise without the written permission of the publisher. A CIP catalog record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Johnson, Martin Phillip, 1959— The paradise of association : political culture and popular organizations in the Paris Commune of 1871 / Martin Phillip Johnson, p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-472-10724-0 (cloth : acid-free paper) 1. Political culture—France—Paris—History—19th century. 2. Political clubs—France—Paris—History—19th century. 3. Paris (France)—History—Commune, 1871. I. Title. JS5170.J64 1996 306.2'0944—dc20 96-25345 CIP Paris is a true paradise___all social groups have established themselves federations and are masters of their own fate. —Gustave Courbet, April 1871 Preface Scholars often say they hope their work provides a foundation for future studies, and that hope has been fulfilled in this study of popular organiza tions. Indeed, this book may be considered the third volume of a collective trilogy on popular organizations from 1868 to 1871. The first volume is Aux Originesde la Commune: Le Mouvement des reunionspubliques a Paris 1868-1870, by Alain Dalotel, Alain Faure, and Jean-Claude Freiermuth, which analyzes public meetings from June 1868 until they were outlawed in the spring of 1870. Although it ends a year before the insurrection of March 18, it concludes that the Commune was the result of revolutionary action. The second is R. D. Wolfe’s similarly titled 1965 dissertation, “The Origins of the Commune: The Popular Organizations of 1868-71,” which focuses on clubs and committees during the seige of Paris. The last pages of Wolfe’s dissertation suggest that the Commune was bom from a revo lutionary socialist coalition, a supposition that has proven correct. These well-crafted works were necessary prerequisites for this study, and my readers and I owe their authors a debt of gratitude. The aid and encouragement of many people and institutions made this study possible. Irwin Wall and David Gordon first introduced me to French history and the Commune; they and Kenneth Barkin at the Uni versity of California, Riverside, read some of the early papers and histori ographical reviews that became the foundation for this study. In Paris, Andr6 Burgui&re and Pierre Nora provided assistance and orientation. At Brown University, Philip Benedict and R. Burr Litchfield gave generously of their time and expertise, and I am most grateful for the encouragement and incisive criticisms of my dissertation director, Joan Wallach Scott. Doug Cremer, Christopher Guthrie, Louise Tilly, and Irwin Wall read and viii Preface commented on parts of the manuscript at various moments. My thanks and appreciation go especially to Nancy M. Wingfield, who gave the gift of her intelligence and love. Finally, I would like to acknowledge the finan cial assistance of the University of California, the Fulbright program, Brown University, and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Contents Introduction: Revolution and Political Culture 1 Part 1. The Origins of the Commune Chapter 1. Club Politics during the Siege of Paris 17 Chapter 2. The Revolutionary Socialist Party 55 Chapter 3. Shaping the Revolution 89 Part 2. The New World Chapter 4. Association and the New World 131 Chapter 5. The Structures of Club Society 165 Chapter 6. The Components of Club Culture 203 Chapter 7. Gender and Clubiste Political Culture 235 Conclusion: The Legacies of the Commune 275 Sources 289 Index 313
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