Women in the Paris Commune

The Paris Commune was an insurrectionary period in the history of Paris that lasted just over two months, from March 18, 1871, to the Semaine sanglante that ended on May 28, 1871. This insurrection refused to recognize the government of the National Assembly of 1871, which had just been elected by universal male suffrage. Many women took active roles in the events, and are known as "communardes". They are important in the history of women's rights in France, particularly with regards to women's emancipation. Equal pay and the first forms of structured organization of women in France appear during this period, in particular the Union des femmes pour la défense de Paris et les soins aux blessés or the Comité de vigilance de Montmartre.