“Everyone is looking for their own path, we are looking for ours and we believe that the day when the reign of freedom and equality arrives, humanity will be happy." With this quote from Louise Michel, an emblematic figure of the Paris Commune, today I begin to publish some notes regarding the Paris Commune (La Commune de Paris), which this year marks its 150th anniversary. A century and a half after this popular uprising against conservative power—born from the ruins of the French defeat against the Prussians—and ultimately trampled in blood, it is still worthy of being mourned and remembered. The choice to start these notes on March 8 is not accidental because the conscious participation of women in the cause of this popular insurrection was significant and important. Taking power in Paris for three months, it found itself reflecting and facing many issues of the modern era that are still current and many unresolved.
