
The Trial of Louise Michel – Paris Commune 1871
The stunning gazetted report of the trial of Louise Michel, along with her testimony, for her involvement in the 1871 Paris Commune as a pétroleuse.
During the 1871 Paris Commune, the people of Paris created the world’s first socialist state.
It was a moment of high drama in French history, where the suffering of the people under Louis-Napoleon III’s Second Empire, followed by the starvation, hunger and violence of the Prussian Siege, saw the people of Paris spontaneously seize power in a ‘peaceful’ Revolution.
What followed was a ten-week blossoming of social measures for the benefit of the people, including the secularisation of schools, the abolishment of the death penalty, measures for the education of girls and women, the introduction of social pensions, fair work measures introduced into workplaces, and a cap on the salaries of all elected representatives.
The ousted government in Versailles returned to attack the Commune after a month, and after six weeks of civil war, somewhere between 20,000 and 40,000 people were killed in one week in May, in what became known as ‘Bloody Week’. The Commune was defeated.
After Bloody Week, another 40,000 prisoners were taken to trial in Versailles, including 8,000 poor women, known as ‘pétroleuses’ (petrol girls), who were accused of setting fire to Paris.
Louise Michel turned herself in during Bloody Week, and represented herself spectacularly during her trial. She was exiled to New Caledonia for her unrelenting role in the Paris Commune.
Petrol Girls is a novel by Jade Maitre, which tells the story of Louise Michel and the events of the 1871 Paris Commune.
The stunning gazetted report of the trial of Louise Michel, along with her testimony, for her involvement in the 1871 Paris Commune as a pétroleuse.
A gallery of 1871 Paris Commune pétroleuse portraits - the world's first photographic 'mug shots' - taken of the alleged petrol girls, by photographer E. Appert.
A gallery of Appert portraits of the Communards, taken for the military trials after Bloody Week and the Paris Commune 1871.
Hundreds of children fought for the Paris Commune alongside their parents. More than 600 were imprisoned afterwards and held to account for their "crimes".
Petrol girl Victorine Gorget was accused of setting fire to Paris. Here is her interview with Captain Briot after the 1871 Paris Commune.
A collection of maps of Paris and Versailles during the 1871 Paris Commune, as well as Second Empire Paris, and after Bloody Week.
Petrol girl Hortense David was accused of setting fire to Paris. Here is her interview with Captain Briot after the 1871 Paris Commune.
Petrol girl Jeanne Durivalt was accused of setting fire to Paris. Here is her interview with Captain Briot after the 1871 Paris Commune.
Petrol girl Joséphine Marchais was accused of setting fire to Paris. Here is her interview with Captain Briot after the 1871 Paris Commune.
Petrol girl Leontine Suetens was accused of setting fire to Paris. Here is her interview with Captain Briot after the 1871 Paris Commune.