The last seven days of the Paris Commune are known as The Bloody Week. During this time Adolphe Thier laid siege to to take back the city from the Communards. The Parisians worked together to set up large barricades to protect the city from the incoming incursion. They knew this was a losing battle from the start, but were so radicalized at this point by the conservative French government that they refused to back down. It is estimated that 10,000 Communards were killed before the city was under control.
This image by an unknown author depicts women helping in the effort to protect the commune from the French army. Many women’s unions emerged during the Paris Commune, the most prominent of which was The Union des Femmes. This group sought to validate the contributions made by women that had been devalued as women’s work. Women contributed with medical aid, clothing, and food for the men that fought and built; and women like Elisabeth Dmitrieff made giant strides in helping women take control of their labor. She advocated for equal pay for women’s labor and made it clear that women’s contributions were in a symbiotic relationship with male labor.
Worked Cited
Eichner, Carolyn J. Surmounting the Barricades. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2004. Web. 11 Oct 2020