Hudon, Etienne <br/><br/>
Bitterness and Black Bread: Food and Political Emotions during the 1870-1871 ‘Terrible Year’. 

 -  2025.<br/>							 
<br/><br/> 20 
<br/><br/> ‪By examining food shortages during the siege of Paris (1870-1871), this article explores the emotional dimension of the political mobilization that culminated in the Commune (March 18 - May 28, 1871). The precarious availability of food — especially bread, a vital staple — is not merely a material concern but a potent emotional catalyst that contributed to the politicization of the Parisian population. The so-called ‘stomach question’ emerges as a key driver of collective mobilization: long queues at bakeries, the declining quality of bread, and the perceived injustice of its distribution all provoked widespread indignation, prompting demands for political redress. Clubs and public meetings played a crucial role in collectivizing these affects and articulating them in political terms. A republican moral economy is then perceptible: far from a paternalistic vision in which the State has a moral a duty to provide food, Parisians demanded a fair and equitable distribution of resources, which the Commune would render possible. The emotions and affects surrounding hunger and food inequality are thus an integral part of the emotional and political experience of the 1870-1871 ‘terrible year’ ‪‪in Paris. ‪