ies under their several
headings.) "The Commune" is the name given to the period of the history
of Paris from March 18 to May 28, 1871, during which the commune of
Paris attempted to set up its authority against the National Assembly at
Versailles. It was a political movement, intended to replace the
centralized national organization by one based on a federation of
communes. Hence the "communists" were also called "federalists." It had
nothing to do with the social theories of Communism (q.v.). (See FRANCE:
_HISTORY_.)

COMMUNE, MEDIEVAL. Under this head it is proposed to give a short
account of the rise and development of towns in central and western
continental Europe since the downfall of the Roman Empire. All these,
including also the British towns (for which, however, see BOROUGH), may
be said to have formed one unity, inasmuch as all arose under similar
conditions, economic, legal and political, irrespective of local
peculiarities. Kindred economic conditions prevailed in all the former
provinces of the Western empire, while new law concepts were everywhere
introduced by the Germanic invaders. It is largely for the latter reason
that it seems advisable to begin with an account of the German towns,
the term German to correspond to the limits of the old kingdom of
Germany, comprising the present empire, German Austria, German
Switzerland, Holland and a large portion of Belgium. In their
development the problem, as it were, worked out least tainted by foreign
interference, showing at the same time a rich variety in detail; and it
may also be said that their constitutional and economic history has been
more thoroughly investigated than any other.

Like the others, the German towns should be considered from three points
of view, viz. as jurisdictional units, as self-administrative units and
as economic units. One of the chief distinguishing features of early as
opposed to modern town-life is that each town formed a jurisdictional
district distinct from the country around. Another trait, more in
accordance with the conditions of to-day, is that local self-government
was more fully developed and strongly marked in the towns than without.
And, thirdly, each town in economic matters followed a policy as
independent as possible of that of any other town or of the country in
general. The problem is, how this state of things arose.

From this point of view the German towns may be divided into two main
classes: those