On this day in 1848, the French February Revolution began when thousands of Parisians took to the streets to protest political suppression, leading to the founding of the Second Republic and establishment of labor reforms. Among the reforms the Second Republic passed were universal male suffrage and a guaranteed "right to work", provided by National Workshops which gave the unemployed with a source of income.

The protests of February 22nd were triggered by the banning of political banquets, legal means of criticizing the government and fundraising for political organizing. Incidentally, communist journalist Friedrich Engels was in Paris at the time and witnessed these banquets. After the ban, thousands flooded out onto the streets to protest against the "Citizen King" Louis Philippe and his chief minister François Pierre Guillaume Guizot.

Shouting "Down with Guizot" and "Long Live the Reform", the crowds marched past Guizot's residence and erected barricades in the streets of Paris, where fighting broke out between the citizens and the Parisian municipal guards. French troops shot into the crowd, killing at least fifty-two people.

In the next few days, Guizot resigned and King Philippe fled the country. By February 26th, the Second Republic had been formed, with poet Alphonse de Lamartine acting as a de facto dictator over France for the next three months.

The Second Republic's governance would be tested in the "June Days" uprising, which Karl Marx identified as a conflict between petite bourgeoisie and the proletariat. The revolting workers were crushed by force (with over 4,000 insurgents being deported to Algeria) and the Second Republic continued until elected President Louis Napoléon Bonaparte dissolved the parliament in a coup in 1851.

The Class Struggles in France, 1848 to 1850 :marx-guns-blazing:

Megathreads and spaces to hang out:

reminders:

Links To Resources (Aid and Theory):

Aid:

Theory:

Remember nerds, no current struggle session discussion here to the general megathread, i will ban you from the comm and remove your comment, have a good day/night :meow-coffee:

  • BogMonster [none/use name]
    ·
    2 years ago

    Anyone want to write a modern day version of Marx’s Capital?

    According to AI this is what it should be like:

    A modern-day version of Marx's Capital would likely focus on the current global economic system and its impact on workers, society, and the environment. It would analyze the structures and dynamics of capitalism, including the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few, the exploitation of labor, and the commodification of natural resources.

    The work might also examine the role of technology in shaping the economy and the labor market, including the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, and the effects of globalization on workers and communities.

    A modern-day Capital would also likely explore contemporary social and political issues, such as inequality, racial and gender disparities, climate change, and the political power of corporations.

    Overall, a modern-day version of Capital would seek to provide a comprehensive analysis of the economic, social, and political forces at work in the world today, with a critical eye towards the systems of power and exploitation that underlie them.

    • CyborgMarx [any, any]
      ·
      2 years ago

      Anwar Shaikh's 2016 book Capitalism is pretty much the book you're describing, I'm not kidding when I say it's the most comprehensive treatment of capitalism in all its facets since Marx himself or at the very least Lenin