A History of the Barricade

Publisher:  Verso
Year Published:  2015
Pages:  144pp   Price:  17.20   ISBN:  978-1784781255
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX19764

On the historical evolution of the French barricade, from the Wars of Religion to the Paris Commune.

Abstract: 
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From the Publisher:

In the history of European revolutions, the barricade stands as a glorious emblem. Its symbolic importance arises principally from the barricades of Eric Hazan’s native Paris, where they were instrumental in the revolts of the nineteenth century, helping to shape the political life of a continent.

The barricade was always a makeshift construction (the word derives from barrique or barrel), and in working-class districts these ersatz fortifications could spread like wildfire. They doubled as a stage, from which insurgents could harangue soldiers and subvert their allegiance. Their symbolic power persisted into May 1968 and, more recently, the Occupy movements.

Hazan traces the many stages in the barricade’s evolution, from the Wars of Religion through to the Paris Commune, drawing on the work of thinkers throughout the periods examined to illustrate and bring to life the violent practicalities of revolutionary uprising.