The History of the Paris Commune of 1871 (First Edition)

London: Swan Sonnenschein, 1896. FIRST EDITION, first printing. Full purple cloth with gilt lettering on the spine, book has light wear and a little bit of spotting, comes with maps (one folding). Previous owner's name on front flyleaf, last 100 pages are unopend. Not exlibrary. Overall in VERY GOOD condition. The "Paris Commune" (French: La Commune de Paris) was a government that briefly ruled Paris from 18 March (more formally from 26 March) to 28 May 1871. It has been variously described as either Anarchist or Socialist in tenor, depending on the ideology of the commenter. Karl Marx described it as a vindication of his Communist ideas while the anarchist Mikhail Bakunin countered that since it did not rely on a vanguard and did not seize the State or attempt to create a new revolutionary State it was actually anarchist. In a formal sense the Paris Commune of 1871 was simply the local authority (council of a town or district — French "commune") which exercised power in Paris for two months in the spring of 1871. But the conditions in which it was formed, its controversial decrees and tortured end make it one of the more important political episodes of the time. . First Edition. Full Cloth. Very Good. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Hardcover.