Guesde was born Jules Bazile, was sentenced for supporting the Commune, and came back from exile converted to Marxism, one of the first in the country. In 1880, with Marx's son-in-law, he founded the country's first Marxist party. On 23 May of that same year, it was he who called for the first march to the Communards' Wall, and twenty-five thousand people filed past: the annual pilgrimage begins there. His niche bears a number.
The story
Jules Bazile, known as Guesde, was born in Paris in 1845. Sentenced for having backed the Commune, he went into exile in Italy, and came back a Marxist — one of the very first in France.
In 1880, in London, he drew up with Marx, Engels and Paul Lafargue, Marx's son-in-law, the programme of the Parti ouvrier, adopted at the Le Havre congress: the country's first Marxist organisation, which in 1893 took the name Parti ouvrier français. Marx, irritated by their revolutionary phrase-making, let fall on the pair of them the line still quoted against them: “What is certain is that I myself am not a Marxist.”
It was he who called, on 23 May 1880, the first march up to the Communards' Wall: twenty-five thousand people filed past, two months before the Communards were amnestied. The annual tradition dates from that day.
Elected deputy for Roubaix in 1893, he was a founder of the SFIO — the unified French socialist party — in 1905, accepting unity with Jaurès, whose line he had fought for years.
In 1914 he entered the national unity government as minister of state, the unbending Marxist rallying to the sacred union of wartime. He died at Saint-Mandé on 28 July 1922; his ashes were placed in the columbarium, niche 6,323.
On site, do not miss
Niche 6,323 of the columbarium — and, in the same building, five other names from this guide.
Visitors' questions
Where is Jules Guesde's grave?
In the Père-Lachaise columbarium, Division 87, niche 6,323 — these are his ashes. The same building holds the niches of Paul Dukas, Georges Perec, Stéphane Grappelli and Isadora Duncan.
Paul DukasWhat was his role in French socialism?
He brought Marxism into it: convicted for supporting the Commune and exiled to Italy, he founded the Parti ouvrier with Paul Lafargue in 1880, the country's first Marxist organisation, and co-founded the SFIO in 1905.
Paul Lafargue and Laura MarxDid he start the march to the Communards' Wall?
He launched the first one, on 23 May 1880: twenty-five thousand people marched to the wall, two months before the Communards were amnestied. The annual tradition, still alive today, dates from that call.
The Communards' WallWhat did Marx think of him?
Not much, at least of his programme: receiving Guesde and Lafargue in London in 1880, he is said to have passed judgement on their text with a phrase let slip in French — “ce n'est pas du marxisme”, this is not Marxism. Guesde nonetheless remained his chief champion in France.
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