Chapter 1049 An Angry Uprising
The scorching summer of 1948 was extremely difficult for people and animals in Paris. In normal years, when dockworkers still had brown bread to eat, they would occasionally sprinkle some bread crumbs to feed the seagulls and pigeons.
(Located in Paris, the capital of France, it is the intersection of the Seine River and the Marne River, and is also the only way for seagulls to migrate.)
However, not to mention the seagulls and pigeons, even the rats on the pier have disappeared.
Not only people and animals, but also the leaves of plants were obviously damaged.
In the warehouse at the dock, several administrators were almost steamed by the heat emitted from the piles of grain.
"Food is so expensive now, why doesn't the boss take action?"
"There is nothing we can do. There are always a few congressmen who are messing around and imitating the Austrians to impose price limits."
"It's so hard on my grandma that we have to sell it on the black market at night."
"Don't worry, those big shots are more anxious than us. We are just trying to make ends meet."
The city was filled with demonstrations, daily strikes, various street speeches, various leaflets, curses on the rich and cries of hunger filling the streets.
The military police and police were busy all day long. Guards with guns and ammunition were stationed in front of the government gate, and guards and bodyguards were also stationed in front of the homes of officials and wealthy businessmen.
Children gathered at the front door of the newspaper office and in the alleys, waiting for business to come to them. Pickpockets, prostitutes, and beggars filled the capital of the world.
In the large villa in Xicheng District, it is still like spring all year round. The expensive mechanical fan keeps spinning all day long, but the laughter and laughter of the past are missing.
Everyone felt an unusual atmosphere. A large number of noble ladies left Paris with their children and property, and sailed to London or New York.
In a three-story hotel with direct views of the city and the palace, some people were hurriedly carrying their luggage, and some were preparing to hang themselves.
In a room on the third floor, Tocqueville was praying. He had had enough, and he really didn't want to do it again.
On the rooftop, two bearded men were enjoying the ham and beer brought from their hometown while talking about the future.
They all want to witness the miracle happen, but they have more important missions that have not yet been completed, so they can only choose to watch indifferently.
Just a few days ago, the government of the Second French Republic promulgated a new law, targeting the crowds of marches and demonstrations. As long as anyone in the crowd carries weapons, it is an armed parade.
Weapons include: guns, artillery, explosives, swords, spears, and wooden clubs.
Anyone who takes part in an armed march will be punished with penalties ranging from two weeks to twenty years.
Faced with the menacing public, the French Second Republic Parliament passed a compulsory conscription bill. They first recruited young people aged 20-25 from the parade, and then recruited those aged 26-30.
In this way, there will be less pressure to allocate conscripts. At the same time, this will not only weaken the strength of the parade, but also relieve the pressure on the front line.
However, the overwhelming battle reports were all about the defeat of the French army, and no one wanted to die.
The marchers violently resisted the police who came to enforce conscription, they chanted.
"I would rather die in Paris than leave my hometown and die by the Rhine."
This slogan is obviously not very convincing and a bit awkward. Then someone shouted.
"Don't be a lackey of the invaders, don't be an accomplice of the massacre of the people!"
Along with the news of the defeat, there was also a large amount of evidence and testimony that reached Paris, and even secret letters from some government officials, proving that the French army and the French government were carrying out conscious massacres.
Naturally, the royal party would not give up this opportunity to summon the souls of the Orleans dynasty and the Bourbon dynasty. Unfortunately, both sides lacked visionary leaders. The French government did not take action, and their own people started fighting first.
Finally, during the fight between the marchers and the police, a gun fell to the ground. The National Guard took the lead in shooting at the marchers, but they obviously underestimated the courage of the people.
The angry people did not back down, but rushed forward to face the volley of guns.
Fighting broke out, and riots broke out almost simultaneously in the Panthéon, the Place de Ville, and the Bastille and spread quickly.
After defeating the National Guard, the demonstrators immediately began to attack police stations. Many police stations were looted. Then they piled all the tables, chairs, and furniture in the police stations into the middle of the road, completing barricades one after another.
The rebels quickly raised the banner of "Freedom and Bread" and wrote their demands on paper and threw them out.
These demands are similar. They all require the establishment of a democratic republic based on equality, fraternity, and freedom, the implementation of universal suffrage, the promulgation of labor laws, the withdrawal of troops from Paris, and the imprisonment of government officials headed by Bilford.
At this time, Bilford collapsed on the chair in the office, and he had already thought of committing suicide.
Bilford really couldn't imagine how things could turn out like this. He was in a mess under internal and external troubles. He scribbled a letter of resignation and gave it to Cavaignac.
"General, the future of France is in your hands!"
Cavaignac was a little confused at first, but soon made up his mind. He divided all the police, gendarmes, and National Guards in Paris into three armies to attack the barricades in the Pantheon, Plaza Mayor, and Bastille respectively.
Franz naturally knew what Cavaignac did in history, and the rebels in Paris knew what Franz knew, so they had already made plans and waited for the arrival of the army.
As the rebels were well prepared, Cavaignac's troops suffered successive setbacks at the beginning of the battle. At this time, the MPs headed by Arago began to carry out a psychological offensive against the rebels.
"Why are you betraying the motherland! Put down your weapons, walk out of the barricades, and return to your families!"
an unnamed revolutionary retorted.
"Sir! You fought with us in 1832! You once taught us not to listen to the advice of people who don't know the pain!
But you have no right to blame us now! You have forgotten the pain of hunger! You have no idea what poverty is! "
——Excerpted from "History of the Second French Republic"
(French to English, English to Chinese, everyone understands the translation of a certain song.)
However, a militia is a militia after all, and Franz failed to solve the biggest failure of this uprising, which was the lack of unified leadership and command.
After the initial setback, Cavaignac immediately changed his tactics and began to concentrate his forces to defeat them one by one, and mobilized artillery to open the way.
The scene in Saint-Denis Street best represents the tragedy of this uprising. Under the siege of Cavaignac's army, they quickly ran out of ammunition and food. The leader of Saint-Denis Street decided to lead everyone to break out of a bloody road.
The leader was shot and fell as soon as he rushed out of the barricade. Before he died, he was still trying to hold the flagpole from falling. A young girl took the flag from his hand and continued to rush forward.
Just before he could get a few steps away, he was hit by a bullet in the forehead and fell down. Another woman held the body of her comrade with one hand and picked up rocks with the other hand and threw them at the National Guard soldiers.
But soon the woman was also killed by a bullet. People rushed forward one after another, but the National Guard soldiers were not merciful.
When the smoke cleared, the damaged tricolor flag finally slowly fell down