Timeline May 1871

Events in May 1871 7

• 1792 – 1871 John Herschel (1792-1871) Died 11 May 1871, aged 79 Herschel was an English astronomer, mathematician, and chemist who catalogued nebulae and star clusters in both hemispheres, extending the work of his father William Herschel. He also made pioneering contributions to photography, coining the terms photography, positive, and negative. He was one of the most celebrated scientists of his generation.
• 1870 – 1871 Franco-Prussian War Fall of the Second Empire The conflict that led to the collapse of Napoleon III's rule and the unification of Germany.
• 1871 Paris Commune Revolutionary government briefly rules Paris Parisian workers and National Guardsmen established a radical socialist government after the collapse of Napoleon III's regime, controlling the city for two months. French government troops suppressed the Commune during the violent Bloody Week in late May, killing thousands of Communards. The episode became a foundational reference point for later socialist and communist movements.
• 1871 Treaty of Washington signed US and Britain settle Alabama Claims dispute The United States and Britain signed a treaty resolving American claims for damages caused by Confederate warships built in British shipyards during the Civil War. The treaty submitted the Alabama Claims to international arbitration and also addressed fishing rights and the San Juan Islands boundary dispute. It is considered an early landmark in international arbitration.
• 1871 Treaty of Frankfurt ends Franco-Prussian War France cedes Alsace-Lorraine to the new German Empire The treaty formally ended the Franco-Prussian War, requiring France to pay a war indemnity of five billion francs and cede most of Alsace and part of Lorraine to Germany. German troops occupied parts of France until the indemnity was paid. The territorial loss remained a source of French resentment for decades.
• 1871 Italy passes the Law of Guarantees Rome's status as Italian capital formalised The Italian Parliament passed the Law of Guarantees, defining the relationship between the new Kingdom of Italy and the Papacy after Rome's annexation in 1870. The law granted the Pope certain honours and immunities but did not restore his temporal power, which Pope Pius IX refused to accept. Rome was formally established as the capital of unified Italy.
• 1871 The Civil War in France Response to the Paris Commune Following the brief and bloody Paris Commune of 1871, Marx wrote "The Civil War in France" for the International Workingmen's Association, defending the Commune as a model of proletarian self-governance despite its defeat. The pamphlet enhanced Marx's notoriety across Europe as the intellectual figurehead of international revolutionary socialism.