The
Paris Commune during the
French Revolution was the government of Paris from 1789 until 1795. Established in the
Hôtel de Ville just after the
storming of the Bastille, it consisted of 144 delegates elected by the 48 divisions of the city. The Paris Commune became insurrectionary in the summer of 1792, essentially refusing to take orders from the central French government. It took charge of routine civic functions but is best known for mobilizing extreme views and actions among the people and sponsoring the
September Massacres of over 1000 priests and other prisoners, and for its campaign to dechristianize the churches and the people. It lost much power in 1794 and was replaced in 1795.