Assembly formed by Parisian electors on 15 July 1789, following the storming of the Bastille. It appointed a mayor, created the Garde Nationale, and was responsible for municipal administration. On 10 August 1792 it was replaced by a left-wing ‘Commune insurrectionnelle’ [see Revolution, 1b]; this wielded considerable power in the ensuing period, bringing popular pressure to bear on the Convention. Its members suffered wholesale repression on the downfall of Robespierre.
[Peter France]
