There is a black hole in French history. The biggest massacre of civilians in Europe since Saint Barthelemy was hidden there: between 20,000 and 30,000 Communards were murdered by the French army. Since 1871, attempts have been made to cover up the crime with lies and denial.

After 4 and a half months of siege, when the government capitulated to the Prussian army, the people of Paris revolted and decided to govern themselves. The Paris Commune began on the 18th of March 1871 and lasted 72 days.

It was a rare example of direct democracy, in which the elected representatives, considered to be mere agents, were given an imperative mandate and were accountable and revocable to the people at all times.

The first workers' revolution in the world, it abolished the army in favour of the people in arms, established the separation of Church and State 34 years before the 1905 law, created secular, compulsory and free schooling for boys and girls, put abandoned workshops under self-management, created a minimum and maximum wage, established equal pay for men and women among teachers, and granted the same rights to concubines and adulterous children. In short, all the foundations of socialism were laid in 55 days of government.

The French government, aided by the German army of occupation, committed a veritable class genocide: 100,000 workers were missing from Paris at the end of the Commune; 30,000 were killed, 43,522 taken prisoner, 10,000 exiled and 4,500 deported.

Despite the leaden blanket in France, the resonance of the Commune was immense in progressive movements the world over. Even today, 1.4 billion Chinese learn about the Paris Commune at primary school. This is not the case for French schoolchildren.