The Paris Commune and rent: History of a decree

This paper focuses on the Decree of 29 March 1871, issued by the Paris Commune, which decided to cancel (or remit) rents that were unpaid during the Siege of Paris, as well as rents due in April 1871. The question of rental debt arose as soon as peace was restored at the end of January. Stakeholders were moving towards a negotiated solution : juries would decide on a case-by-case basis whether or not to forgive debt. The National Assembly never decreed payment of rental debt. The cancelling of all rents, decided by the Commune, can be explained as a political move aimed at winning the bourgeoisie over to its side against the government established in Versailles. But the fact that war profiteers also benefited from debt relief did not go down well with the general population. The local councils and police enforced the decree, despite resistance from landlords, but they interpreted it to the letter and no further. Neither the law nor the “customs” that governed the procedures were challenged. However, this was the first time that an established power had sided with poor tenants by writing off their debts.