Readers are offered a book by the Russian historian and philosopher A.I. Smirnov (1838-1902), devoted to the study of the origin and historical development of urban communities in medieval France in connection with the political growth of the third estate, which at that time included all groups of the population with the exception of the nobility and clergy. The work describes the fate of Gallo-Roman municipalities (communities) from the fall of the Western Roman Empire to the communal revolution in France; the causes of the revolution and its spread in various regions of the country are considered. Special attention is paid to the history of public utilities in the cities of Amiens and Reims.