The Paris Commune – a visual history a Friends of the Keep Archive Talk

In 1871 the people of Paris declared independence from the French national government. The city was governed as a revolutionary state, creating shock and excitement across Europe. Although it was brutally suppressed after two months, the memory of the Paris Commune has inspired political radicals ever since.

The Keep holds one of the largest collections in the world of material relating to the Paris Commune. Collected by Eugene Schulkind, a former University of Sussex academic, these posters, newspapers and other records capture the hope, energy and violence of this brief political experiment.

Kevin Bacon will introduce the collection and tell the story of the Commune and its origins in the Franco-Prussian War. Was the Paris Commune a first version of the communist revolutions of the 20th century? Or was it the furious reawakening of a lost past? How does it resonate in today’s world?

And how can you understand any of this if you can’t speak a word of French?!

The Speaker

Kevin Bacon is Collections Senior Manager at the University of Sussex and part of the Keep Management Team. He joined the university in 2023 after 20 years working at Brighton & Hove Museums. He holds Master’s degrees in Political Philosophy and Digital Media.