During the twelfth century, most countries of the west had experienced a true 'scholastic revolution'. It was around 1200 that the first universities were born in the west. The two most ancient universities were in Bologna and Paris: throughout the course of the Middle Ages, these were to remain the most important, serving as models for all subsequent establishments. The first universities initially appeared as communities, as is clearly indicated by the terms used to distinguish them from the outset: universitas. The goals the universities set for themselves were at first very concrete, deriving from the increasing number of students and their unique conditions of existence. The institutional strengthening of the Universities of Paris and Oxford was also a result of the appearance of the first colleges, which were seen in Paris towards the end of the twelfth century. The social and political success of the universities in the thirteenth century cannot be separated from their exceptional intellectual success.