The Paris Commune. Tuesday, March 28, 1871. Today the Paris Commune is proclaimed. The Central Committee hands over power to the elected representatives. The ceremony takes place in the Place de l鈥橦么tel-de-Ville, in an atmosphere of great celebration involving about 200,000 citizens. Those who can no longer enter the crowded square gather in rue de Rivoli or boulevard S茅bastopol. Paris has officially embarked on its heroic attempt at self-determination with democracy expressed from below. There will be almost two months of enthusiasm, democratic and social experiments, battles, up to the defeat that in the last week will lead to the killing of over 15,000 Communards (the most likely estimate) executed by the government army. But today, March 28, 1871, Paris and its people are celebrating, and the dream, the desire for work, democracy, and equal dignity for all hover over the central Town Hall square and the more distant neighborhoods. A large red flag waves atop the H么tel-de-Ville.
