Editing Paris Commune (section)

=== Defenders of Paris ===
[[File:French Garde Nationale soldier with Tabatiere rifle 1870.jpg|thumb|upright|French [[National Guard (France)|National Guard]] soldier, 1870]]

By 20 September 1870, the German army had surrounded Paris and was camped just {{convert|2000|m|ft}} from the French front lines. The regular [[French Army]] in Paris, under [[Louis-Jules Trochu|General Trochu]]'s command, had only 50,000 professional soldiers of the line; the majority of the French first-line soldiers were prisoners of war, or trapped in [[Metz]], surrounded by the Germans. The regulars were thus supported by around 5,000 firemen, 3,000 [[National Gendarmerie|gendarmes]], and 15,000 sailors.{{sfn|Milza|2009b|pp=143–145}} The regulars were also supported by the [[Garde Mobile]], new recruits with little training or experience. 17,000 of them were Parisian, and 73,000 from the [[Provinces of France|provinces]]. These included twenty battalions of men from [[Brittany]], who spoke little French.{{sfn|Milza|2009b|pp=143–145}}

The largest armed force in Paris was the [[National Guard (France)|National Guard]], numbering about 300,000 men. They also had very little training or experience. They were organised by neighbourhoods. Those from the upper- and middle-class [[Arrondissements of France|arrondissements]] tended to support the national government, while those from the working-class neighbourhoods were far more radical and politicised. Guardsmen from many units were known for their lack of discipline; some units refused to wear uniforms, often refused to obey orders without discussing them, and demanded the right to elect their own officers. The members of the National Guard from working-class neighbourhoods became the main armed force of the Commune.{{sfn|Milza|2009b|pp=143–145}}