The Civil War in France
In this course we look at Marx’s treatment of the Paris Commune as the first example of the dictatorship of the proletariat and Engels introduction to the same.
Session One: The Paris Commune and the Dictatorship of the Proletariat
In this session we ask what it means to say the class character of a revolution is determined both economically and politically. We investigate the relation between class and national struggle in the Commune and discuss the difference between the two types of decrees it issued. We inquire as to the distinction between dynastic and national wars and ask what it means for those who deny transhistorical standards of morality to make and appeal to “simple rules of morality and justice”.
We further investigate what was the difference between the Central Committee of the National Guard and the Commune as aspects of proletarian rule and put the correctness of their policies in question.
Readings: Karl Marx – The Civil War in France
Further Reading for Course Six
Lissagaray: History of the Commune
The Virginia Worker 