Paris is in chaos: the city starves without a leader or a proper government, and the French army looms outside the capital, waiting for the moment to strike. Citizens wave red flags in front of the Hôtel de Ville, where the newly elected council of philosophers, military commanders, and social leaders deliberates on how to build a revolutionary state. Adolphe Thiers and his bourgeois government agitate against the rebels from their seat at Versailles. Time is short. The Council of the Commune must strengthen the National Guards and Paris’s defence, yet must also fulfill the spirit of revolution and radically reshape society within the palisades. Republicanism, militarism, liberalism, socialism, and myriad other ideologies compete for a new place at Paris’s helm; it is up to the council to change the course of history for Paris and the revolution forever. 

Topic 1 - The Defense of Paris

Delegates must decide the Commune’s policy towards the national government in Versailles. Peace will require sacrifices beyond what Parisians will tolerate, and thus, the Communard council must prepare for war. The National Guard, the popular militias, requisitions for materials, and foreign support will all dominate the council’s agenda as Paris prepares to fight for its life.

Topic 2 - The Fruits of the Revolution

Paris has emerged from a bloody siege that has left society scarred, starved, and furious. The National Guard’s Central Committee demands that the corps become an army with a state, while thinkers such as Blanqui advocate for the revolution to be carried to greater heights through steel and sacrifice. Delegates will have to decide citizens’ rights, the structure of government, and form a governing body to institutionalize the revolution.