The Paris Commune was a radical socialist government that briefly ruled Paris from March to May 1871, emerging in the aftermath of France's defeat in the Franco-Prussian War. The government was established after the overthrow of the Second Empire and had roots in a burgeoning sense of leftist ideology among the Parisian populace, who sought to implement progressive reforms and social equality. Tensions brewed as the French government sought to regain control over the city and dismantle the Commune. The situation escalated dramatically when, on May 21, French government troops launched a full-scale assault to reclaim Paris. This invasion marked the beginning of what would be known as 'Bloody Week', a period characterized by relentless and violent street fighting as troops encountered a determined resistance from the communards who had armed themselves amidst the revolutionary fervor. The clashes led to widespread devastation and the eventual quelling of the uprising, sealing the fate of the Commune as one of the first forms of worker-led governance, and profoundly impacting the nature of socialist movements in the following decades.