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The Civil War in France

Karl Marx · 1871

A 1871 pamphlet by Marx written for the First International, praising the Paris Commune as a model of workers' self-government.

Marx wrote this official statement for the International praising the Paris Commune.

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First page of the Dutch edition of 'De burger-oorlog in Frankrijk' (The Civil War in France), a manifesto of the General Council of the International Workingmen's Association. Printed text in Dutch on aged yellowed paper, with the title, subtitle, dedication, and the opening paragraphs of section I.
Karl Marx, The Civil War in France, Address of the General Council of the International Working-Men's Association, London, 1871.

About this source

What it is

This pamphlet was written by Karl Marx in 1871 as an official statement of the General Council of the First International, following the Franco-Prussian War and the uprising of the Paris Commune. It was first published in London and soon translated into many languages.

Why it matters

Marx based the pamphlet on newspaper reports and accounts from people connected to the Commune, including Paul Lafargue and Peter Lavrov. It argues that the Commune showed workers could not simply take over existing state machinery but needed new forms of government. The work became important to later debates between different branches of socialism about the role of the state.

Look closer

  • What sources did Marx use to write about events he did not witness directly?
  • Why might an international organisation want an official statement on the Commune?
  • How did translators and editors, including Friedrich Engels, shape later versions of this text?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Karl Marx on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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