"Belleville has always been a little bit rowdy, whether it meant to be or not. Long before it was folded into Paris in 1860, it existed as its own working-class wine village perched on a hill, slightly removed from the city both geographically and ideologically. In recent years, as Paris's 10th and 11th arrondissements have slid fully into hipster territory, and even the gritty Barbès neighborhood feels increasingly polished, Belleville has held onto its identity with surprising resolve."
"Belleville's political identity took shape in the late-19th and early-20th centuries, when it became a stronghold of labor movements and leftist organizing. Socialist and communist networks thrived here, and to this day, you can still find the hammer and sickle above some doors. Back then, cafés doubled as meeting rooms. Workers gathered to organize strikes, share resources, and build systems of mutual support, eventually resulting in 1871 in the Commune of Paris, a radical, short-lived revolutionary government that ruled Paris for about 72 days."
Belleville developed as a working-class wine village on a hill before incorporation into Paris in 1860, maintaining geographic and ideological separation. The neighborhood became a labor and leftist stronghold in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with socialist and communist networks and civic cafés serving as organizing hubs. The 1871 Commune of Paris had roots in these movements, and communist mayors governed well into the 20th century. Successive immigrant waves—Armenian, Jewish, North African, Chinese—layered languages, cuisines, and rituals onto the streets. Steep, dense housing fostered collective public life and a sense that the neighborhood belongs to those who live there.
Read at Frenchly
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