Commune facts for kids

A commune is a special kind of group where people live together and share common interests. They often have similar values and beliefs. In a commune, people might share their homes, belongings, and even their work and money.

Many communes focus on making decisions together, without one boss. They also often try to live in a way that is good for the environment. It's a common idea that communes are just for "flower children," but actually, many modern communes are well-organized and manage their money carefully. You can find many of these groups all over the world. The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) has a list of them.

What Makes a Commune Special?

Over the years, people have described communes in different ways. Before the 1840s, they were sometimes called "communist and socialist settlements." Later, terms like "communitarian" and "intentional community" were used.

In the 1970s, a writer named Ron E. Roberts described communes as a type of Utopia (a perfect place). He pointed out three main things about them:

• Everyone is Equal: Communes often try to avoid having bosses or different social levels. Everyone is treated the same.
• Small Scale: Members often felt that society was too big and industrial. Communes aimed to be smaller, more human-friendly places.
• No Bureaucracy: They tried to avoid lots of rules and paperwork, making things simpler.

Later, Dr. Bill Metcalf described communes with these key ideas:

• Group Focus: The group is more important than just one family.
• Shared Money: People often put their money together in a "common purse."
• Shared Home: They live in a collective household.
• Group Decisions: Important choices are made by the whole group.
• Shared Daily Life: They share everyday activities and facilities.
• New Family: A commune can feel like a new kind of family, usually with fewer than 20 people. Members feel a strong connection to the whole group.

Communes Around the World

A commune can be defined simply as an intentional community where everyone shares all their income. The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) lists many such groups worldwide. Some are religious places like monasteries. Others are based on special philosophies, like Camphill villages, which help children and adults with special needs. Many communes are also part of the New Age movement.

It's important to remember that some cultures naturally live in communal or tribal ways. They might not call their way of life a "commune," but it shares many similar features.

Germany

Germany has many intentional communities that call themselves communes. There's even a network called "Kommuja" with about 30 groups. Germany has a long history of these communities, going back to the 1800s. After World War I, about 100 intentional communities started in Germany, many sharing their money. In the 1960s, new communes appeared, like Kommune 1 in Berlin.

In a German book about communes, Elisabeth Voß describes them as communities that:

• Live and work together.
• Share their money and property, like land and buildings.
• Make decisions together, usually by everyone agreeing.
• Try to have fewer bosses or strict rules.
• Share housework, childcare, and other tasks.
• Treat women and men equally.
• Try to live in a way that uses fewer resources, helping the environment.

Israel

The communal dining hall in Kibbutz Merom Golan, around 1968–1972

The Kibbutzim (say "kih-BOOTS-eem") in Israel are famous examples of organized communes. The first ones focused on farming. Today, there are many "urban kibbutzim" growing in Israeli cities. These city communes are smaller and often focus on making social change, education, and helping their local areas. Some members of urban communes come from youth movements that teach about socialism.

United Kingdom

The UK has several communes and intentional communities. Many have started since the 1940s, as people wanted to bring back a sense of community.

The Simon Community in London helps people who are homeless. It provides food and is run by homeless people and volunteers. They often set up street "cafés" to give food to their members and others.

In Wales, there's a co-op called Lammas Ecovillage. It focuses on living in a way that protects the environment. Since 2009, it has created 9 small farms and is a central place for its community.

In Scotland, the Findhorn Foundation started in 1962. It's known for its education center and an experimental community project. The Findhorn Ecovillage community now has over 400 people.

The wind turbines at Findhorn, which help the Ecovillage produce more electricity than it uses.

United States

Communes are often linked to the "back-to-the-land" movement of the 1960s and 1970s, but they have a much longer history in America. The American commune movement has been growing since the mid-1990s. These new groups often try to combine the shared living of the 1960s communes with a desire for some privacy and financial growth. The Fellowship for Intentional Community (FIC) is a great place to find information about communes in the United States.

Venezuela

Since 2010, the government in Venezuela has started building almost 200 "socialist communes." These are meant to be self-governing and independent. The communes have their own "productive gardens" to grow food, so they can supply themselves. They also make their own decisions about how to manage things and use money. Some people worry that this idea might weaken local governments, as the central government could give more money to these communes instead.