ABSTRACT
The various forms of political action were the means by which various groups in cities tried to settle issues or resolve problems. But when problems were not quickly and effectively resolved, a city might be plunged into a prolonged political crisis. The political situation would undergo a cycle of escalation, in which the issues kept expanding and the parties kept resorting to more and more extreme forms of political action. Generally, in such cases, only intervention by some higher political authority could successfully resolve thae crisis.
