How the French invented the barricade, and its symbolic impact on
popular protests throughout history
In the history of European revolutions, the barricade stands as a
glorious emblem. Its symbolic importance arises principally from the
barricades of Eric Hazan's native Paris, where they were instrumental in
the revolts of the nineteenth century, helping to shape the political
life of a continent.
The barricade was always a makeshift construction (the word derives from
barrique or barrel), and in working-class districts these ersatz
fortifications could spread like wildfire. They doubled as a stage, from
which insurgents could harangue soldiers and subvert their allegiance.
Their symbolic power persisted into May 1968 and, more recently, the
Occupy movements.
Hazan traces the many stages in the barricade's evolution, from the Wars
of Religion through to the Paris Commune, drawing on the work of
thinkers throughout the periods examined to illustrate and bring to life
the violent practicalities of revolutionary uprising.
