Blanqui's face turned pale all of a sudden. He gave many orders not to let his men bring weapons to the Bourbon Palace, but some people still refused to listen.
What Blanqui represents in history is actually the earliest and most primitive labor movement. At this time, the working class had not yet understood the cruelty of struggle, and they still put nationalism first in their hearts.
At this time, the leaders of the labor movement did not have the courage to build an independent country. What they wanted from the beginning to the end was for their party to become the majority party in Congress.
To put it bluntly, what these workers want is a republican system, and then they can use the advantage of their votes to become the majority party, thereby influencing national politics, and finally bringing about actual changes in their lives. What they pursue is nothing more than profit.
For example, the hourly minimum wage is increased, daily working hours are shortened, education fees are reduced, welfare subsidies for poor families are increased, etc.
No one expected to establish an independent country. At that time, they did not even have the courage to think about it.
Blanqui did initiate many violent revolutions, but he was still only targeting Napoleon III and the imperial system.
At that time, Blanqui's political appeal was to overthrow the monarchy, overthrow the emperor, and restore the republic!
Now that the French Emperor is also imprisoned, Blanqui's original intention will not change. He still hopes that France will become a republic!
This is an important feature of early social movements. Otherwise, why would later historians define them as utopianism?
Because what everyone pursues is the Republic, and the highest authority of the Republic is the National Assembly, Blanqui can let his men rob military camps and prisons with guns, but he will never dare to attack the Parliament with weapons.
After seizing the military camp and prison, it still makes sense to claim that they are fighting against the remaining forces of the French Emperor.
If armed action were directly launched against the Parliament, these people would be completely abandoned by the French people.
"Catch him...he is a spy left by the French Emperor!" Other labor movement leaders in the crowd suddenly shouted.
What a smart man. In the blink of an eye, he threw the blame on Napoleon III. This Self-Defense Forces soldier with exposed weapons was beaten and kicked by a group of workers.
These people took the 'spy' into custody without the help of the Bourbon Palace Guards.
The commander of the Guards said with a livid face, "Haha... why don't you say he is a Prussian spy! Wouldn't that be more credible..."
How could Blanqui care about such ridicule? He said with a smile without changing his face, "There will definitely be Prussian spies. If they are discovered, they will be severely punished..."
"Sir, if you think it's not okay for so many of us to observe, then I can go in personally and observe. There should be no problem, right?"
Before the commander of the Guards could speak, a voice sounded from behind the crowd, "Open the iron door and let me in... I will vouch for Mr. Blanqui!"
The crowd suddenly branched into an alley, and Congressman Rochefort, who had just been pulled out of prison, strode in. The staff behind the iron gate of the Bourbon Palace were suddenly shocked.
They quickly called the commander of the Praetorian Guard and whispered, "It's Rochefort...one of the leaders of the republican faction. Why was he released..."
"He is an important member of the anti-monarchy council. Now that the Emperor is gone, these people's reputation will immediately increase. There is no way to stop them! We can only let them in..."
With a bang, the soldiers at the door saluted Congressman Rochefort, "Mr. Congressman, you can go in, but the situation is urgent and no one else can go in..."
Before Rochefort could refute him, another carriage came speeding up, with a group of soldiers running to protect him.
"I am Congressman Gambetta. Open the door immediately. I want to attend an emergency meeting... Hmm? Mr. Rochefort, are you released from prison?"
Gambetta, who was recruiting soldiers in the south of France, also rushed back to Paris at the critical moment. As soon as he arrived at the Bourbon Palace, he encountered this scene.
The commander of the Guards said with a dark face, "Mr. Congressman, you can go in, but irrelevant people are absolutely not allowed... This is General Trochu's order. In times of national crisis, we cannot relax our vigilance..."
Blanqui was on the verge of collapse. He gritted his teeth and said, "I have been fighting against the empire all my life. Now that the empire has collapsed, don't I even have the right to observe the parliament?"
"I'm sorry, sir, it's not up to you to decide whether the empire collapses... I'm waiting for the parliament's announcement!"
Just when Blanqui was about to explode, a large group of people suddenly rushed out of the Bourbon Palace. In the middle was the moderate leader Favre. He was holding a piece of paper in his hand, and his hands were like chicken feet. It started shaking.
He stood on the steps and looked at the crowd outside the iron fence and coughed, "There are 577 seats in the National Assembly, 398 of which have valid votes, and more than half comply with the law..."
"I declare that according to the joint resolution of the National Assembly and the unanimous vote of all members... the French Second Empire... at this moment... officially falls!"
"Gentlemen! Citizens of France! The Empire is finally over!"
"Long live!" There were roars outside the Bourbon Palace, and all the people went crazy. Although they knew that the fall of the empire was inevitable, when the parliament officially announced it, their excitement was still uncontrollable.
People hugged each other and cried. In the cheers and cheers, they seemed to have completely forgotten that the Prussian army of 500,000 troops was pressing over from the north.
Gambetta and Rochefort walked to the iron gate and said loudly, "Don't open the door yet. There will be more important meetings later in the parliament, and we must exercise our power!"
The iron gate guarding the Palais Bourbon is finally open!
Rochefort was one of the leaders close to the labor movement. He extended his hand to Blanqui and said, "Old friend, your anti-imperialist cause has finally succeeded. After half a lifetime of suffering, you should go in..."
Looking at the restless crowd around him, Gambetta knew not to intensify the conflict. He said to the commander of the Praetorian Guard, "The empire has fallen. Mr. Blanqui is one of the main leaders of the anti-imperialist movement. Of course he has the right to observe the meeting... …”
"Get out of the way and let Mr. Blanqui in!"
"Let Blanqui in, we want to observe the parliament..." The crowd suddenly started to clamor, and finally someone couldn't hold it back any longer. A group of young people suddenly rushed out, grabbed the iron door and pushed it open hard.
"This is the French Parliament. Every citizen has the right to observe and rush in..."
Like a flood opening, the iron door was slammed open, and countless people poured in, pushing the two congressmen and Blanqui up the steps.
The Imperial Guards did not dare to fire in the end. They watched helplessly as the crazy people rushed up the steps and onto the corridor!
When Blanqui climbed the thirty steps, he was greeted by Thiers' angry questioning!
"Mr. Blanqui, do you want to storm the Parliament?"
