The Civil War in France (Marx)

Marx viewed the Civil War in France (1871) as a class struggle between the working class (the Paris Commune) and the bourgeoisie (elite rulers). After France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War, Paris's workers established the Commune to govern themselves, opposing the government’s attempt to regain control. Marx saw the Commune as a revolutionary effort to challenge capitalist and state authority, embodying the potential for workers to create a new, more equal society. He believed this uprising demonstrated the importance of the working class asserting power directly, marking a significant moment in revolutionary history.