Louise Michel, born on this day in 1830, was a French anarchist, feminist, educator, author, and militant leader of the Paris Commune.
Born in 1830 as an illegitimate daughter and raised by her grandparents, Louise Michel worked as a schoolteacher before revolution came to Paris, and, in 1865, opened a school dedicated to methods of progressive education.
There, Michel came into contact with radical thinkers such as Jules Vallès and Auguste Blanqui, and was concerned about the impoverishment of those on the margins of French society. In 1869, she was one of the founding members of the "Society for the Demand of Civil Rights for Women", focused on improving girls' education.
In 1870, war broke out between France and the Empire of Prussia. The war quickly ended in defeat for France, and, the following March, discontented members of the National Guard mutinied against the new national government in Paris, marking the beginning of the working class uprising known as the Paris Commune.
Michel joined the rebellion and was elected head of the Montmartre Women's Vigilance Committee, playing an important role in the provisional revolutionary administration. She had a romantic relationship with Théophile Ferré, a senior member of the Commune's Committee of Public Safety.
Michel personally fought on the front lines at the barricades, also organizing ambulance stations to transport the wounded. She expressed a willingness to sacrifice herself for the sake of revolution, stating "I like the smell of gunpowder, grapeshot flying through the air, but above all, I'm devoted to the Revolution."
Michel survived the fall of the Commune and was brought to trial in December 1871. She dared the judges to sentence her to death, saying "It seems that every heart that beats for freedom has no other right than a bit of lead, so I claim mine!"
Unlike Ferré, who was executed, she was instead punished by deportation to a penal settlement in the French colony of New Caledonia in the Pacific Ocean.
In New Caledonia, she became acquainted with the indigenous Kanak people, and took an interest in their culture and language, later supporting them during an 1878 revolt against French rule.
Michel also befriended Nathalie Lemel, another exiled figure from the Commune, and became an explicit anarchist under her influence. In 1880, amnesty was granted to former Communards, and Michel returned to Paris, where she was greeted as a hero by the downtrodden of the city and resumed her revolutionary activity.
Michel later moved to London for five years, where she ran a school for children of political refugees, and became a famed speaker across Europe, meeting figures such as the Pankhurst sisters, Peter Kropotkin, and Emma Goldman.
In 1904, Michel embarked on an anti-colonial speaking tour in French Algeria, before falling ill shortly after. She died in Marseille on January 9th, 1905 at the age of 74. Her funeral was attended by over 100,000 people, receiving delegations from socialist and anarchist groups all across Europe.
Today, Michel remains one of the most famous icons of the Paris Commune and is regarded as a pioneer of anarcha-feminism.
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Louise Michel: a leading light and feminist figure in the Paris Commune
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Louise Michel: the revolutionary woman who led the Paris Commune
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Okay that's totally not me then. Whew. I hope. I think? Like, the first half definitely isn't, I still feel very grounded in reality. Definitely sleeping less, but this is still a pretty new script and it feels much more "revenge bedtime procrastination" than "I could not sleep if I tried". Definitely eating way less, but I'm a fat fuck and am thrilled to finally be dropping pounds and not depending on snacking for stimulation.
This is the part that really throws me off. Like I've now had multiple folks say "hey I think you're manic", and how the hell would I be able to tell, except for them pointing it out? But my partner, who absolutely knows me better than anyone, has just said "nah, this is just how you always are when you're focused and not depressed". And I trust their take. But at the same time, couldn't that just signal some sort of bipolarness?
The other comment has me feeling much more chill about this; I can't objectively prove that I'm not, but even if I was I haven't been getting into wacky antics or dangerous situations, so no harm no foul.
It could be you're just happy! And they can tell. Trust your partner, they probably now you the best for sure.
Just enjoy your new vibes~ if you're really concerned don't make any spontaneous big life changing decisions - but most people don't make spur of the moment decisions like that anyway lol. Stimulant psychosis is rare and it is scary but it sounds like you have a very good grasp of your mental health and mental sensorum anyway. But especially, you have a support system you trust who can help you.