What was the Storming of the Bastille?
The Bastille was a medieval fortress located in the east of Paris. It was built in the 14th century to guard the entrance to Paris. It had eight towers linked with walls, all 100 feet high. A moat that was more than eighty feet wide surrounded the fortress. During the 17th and 18th century, the Bastille was used as a prison for those who were thought to doubt the government and its power. The Storming of Bastille took place on July 14, 1789. A large mob of Parisians, mainly consisting of craftsmen and salesmen, marched to the tower in search of weapons and prisoners. The crowd, however, did not impress the few guards on duty at that time. Some representatives of the mob were allowed to be let into the prison; the plan was to diminish some of their anger and waste time while the
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However, when the rescue team arrived, they joined the mob instead of defending the fortress from it. The guards soon gave up, letting the mob into the castle. The people of the mob killed the guards, allowing them to free the prisoners and steal the weapons held in the Bastille. There were not many prisoners being held during the Storming of Bastille; only seven were freed. On the night of the storming, 800 men began to destroy the castle. This was the first violent act of the French Revolution that would key many more acts of violence during this time. The Storming of Bastille signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, as well as the downfall of King Louis the sixteenth and Marie Antoinette . Two days after the storming, the National Assembly ordered the remains of the building to be burned. The people cheered as the prison walls crumbled. In France, July 14th is now known as a national holiday. Bastille Day honors this crucial event in French history, the holiday commemorates an
The Bastille was a symbol of the kings power. Citizens angered for many causes such as the high price of bread formed a mob and planned to free political prisoners. Troops sent to contain the mob instead joined the mob and the prison quickly fell. They attacked Bastille, took over and freed the prisoners inside. This event greatly scared Louis.
June 20th arguments got so heated that 3rd estate was locked so he took the tennis court oath. This initiates National Assembly so then revolutions on. In result Louis sends troops to revolution. But people storm Bastille to protect themselves on july
Even though French patriots revere the storming of the Bastille as a heroic uprising against oppression, the prison itself was an obsolete relic. Practically empty of political prisoners, the fortress expressed power only symbolically. This symbol, though hollow, inspired a revolution after a Parisian crowd attacked it on July 14, 1789; the mob contained members of diverse socio-economic backgrounds, but they united in their opposition to the status quo: popular suffering and a lack of governmental relief. Although absolutist tyranny contributed to popular anger, the crowd stormed the Bastille in a protest primarily against spiking food prices because the revolutionaries feared starvation and military repression. The Bastille,
Crowds surrounded the platform which held the guillotine which would soon kill the king of France, King Louis XVI. Blood covered the floor as the kings head slowly rolled off, followed by clapping and cheering. Little did the people know, once Louis XVI was executed, it led to the start of the 18-month period of the French Revolution which later earned the name “The Reign of Terror”. From 1793-1794 The Reign of Terror took place, certainly fulfilling the name given. Led by chief prosecutor named Maximilien Robespierre, this time in France’s history would be filled with blood and guts and a whole lot of inequality. For something to be considered justified, it must be done for, or marked by a good or legitimate reason. The Reign of Terror was
The first source is a painting of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, an armed skirmish between the Parisian rebels and the French government. The Bastille was a medieval prison in Paris, it represented royal authority in France, but it was also an abuse of the monarchy. Today, the Storming of the Bastille is celebrated as Bastille Day in France to commemorate the victory of the rebels. The Storming of the Bastille was a sign of the increasing power of the Parisians. When the King learned about the skirmish, the King asked, “Is it a revolt?” the Duke replied, “No, it is a revolution.” I believe that this source is connected to nationalism because it shows the patriotism of people of France. The rebels fought back for what they believed in and succeeded as The Storming of the Bastille proves. They believe that they can overthrow France’s monarchy.
When the riot started the guards went into small rooms called safe wells. The rooms were made out of 2 layers of block and had steel reinforced doors. The doors did their job but the prisoners started to beat at the block walls with weight lifting bars. Soon they busted a hole into the room and dragged the guards through the walls. The guards were assigned men to watch them; these men were ordered to kill the guards if the prison came under attack. A few of the guards were protected very well because they affiliated with the Aryan Brotherhood. These few lucky guards were even given weapons to defend themselves incase of a race riot within the prison.
Before the storming of the Bastille in Paris, the people of France were ruled under an absolute monarchy, with King Louis XVI as their ruler. Under this absolute monarchy, the king had unrestricted power, and he could use that power however he sees fit. The king would do anything to establish his royal authority including sending people of the ordinary estate to prison. In a journal
Some say that when the revolution ended it didn’t achieve the wishes of the French people or help them in their hunt for improvement. But the revolution did create a trigger throughout Europe. That trigger was the right to rebel against the French government. All over the continent troubled countries began following France's lead, trying to improve their life through rebellion. This was followed by the Terror of 1792-1794. Under the leadership of Maximilien Robespierre, thousands deemed enemies of the revolution lost their lives. After, Max was arrested and accused of leading France into tyranny and dictatorship. The French made a new calendar with the Year 1 in 1792, this marked a new start to France. Unlike the American’s, the French perceived themselves as starting from
In the 1700s, Bastille was a symbol of royal authority, military and legal, and home to various political prisoners where they could live a luxurious life style. Before it became a prison, it guarded the east entrance of France. On the 14th of July, 1789, Bastille was guarded by a small number of troops, when the 80,000-people stormed it. This attack was symbolic as, the people were challenging royal authority; an act that was uncommon in the 1700s. The next day, the king was invited to put of the revolutionary cockade, which was the symbol of the French Revolution. However, the reason for the attack on Bastille developed in early 1760s. France was on the verge of bankruptcy because of the debt collected from the Sever-Year War, and the American Revolution. The solution for this was to tax the Nobility, however based on Enlightenment thinking, people believed the government was flawed, and there was another solution for progress and improvement. The Nobility’s argued that there was no
In 1759, François-Marie Arouet (Voltaire), a political satirist and French writer, wrote a book called, “Candide” which inspired the Storming of the Bastille. The Storming of the Bastille occurred in Bastille, Paris, France, on 14 July 1789. The fortress, armory, and prison known as the Bastille, symbolized King Louis XIV failed to rule over its people that also held political prisoners. The Candide by Voltaire explained the idea of freedom of speech in a love story, explaining it through his characters Candide and Cunégonde: “I may not agree with what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it” (Document 6). This represents the Storming of the Bastille because when the French citizens formed a mod and went searching for Gunpowder and stormed the Bastille, around 100 people died but still defended their purpose of the French Government. They used Voltaire's line by, “I will defend to the death your right to say it,” and applied it to their life to rebel against the government of France.
In 1789, an event would take place that would shake a nation. This event further altered the country of France’s history and drastically changed its future. This event was known as the Storming of the Bastille, the first violent instance to instigate the French Revolution and the formation of a rebel alliance to overthrow French monarchy. However the motives of the renegades is far and wide. The question must be asked; What were the major reasons for the French Revolution? Many elements of France’s infrastructure were created to suppress the qualms of the people. However, the major influences that caused the French Revolution were the new ideas of the enlightened thinkers, powerlessness of the Third Estate, and famine crises. Without these factors within French society, a governmental collapse may not have occurred.
Bastille Day celebrates a turning point in the French Revolution, the storming of Bastille Prison in 1789. In America, we celebrate Independence Day, or the day when the colonists declared independence from Great Britain in 1776. Both are celebrated in similar ways, with the French and Americans celebrating with fireworks and parades. Also, both points in the war were one of the riskiest moves both countries made. Declaring independence was treason, punishable by death, and storming Bastille could have caused the King to have a violent attack on the citizens. Therefore, both are similar.
The storming of the Bastille is the attack of the revolution. “Flashing weapons, blazing torches, smoking wagon-loads of wet straw, hard work at neighboring barricades in all directions, shrieks, volleys, execrations, bravery without stint,
This fall became a powerful symbol of triumph over tyranny. It was considered the beginning of the French Revolution and it is now a holiday called Bastille day. Declaring War After the Monarch was overthrown, political tensions oh were very extreme and other monarchs from different countries around Europe started keeping an eye on France. Because they thought it would unify the entire country, they wanted to spread the ideas of Revolution across Europe.
For example, the Russian Bear, the Australian Eagle, the Flemish Lion, the French Rooster are used as national symbols. They personify the nation but do not create any controversial historical memories. The symbols of the French Revolution were highlighted and the French Republic was established. National holiday was declared on July 14, 1880 the Third French Republic, the date of taking over of the Bastille by the people of Paris .This date represented change in regime. Although when people had taken over the Bastille only a few unimportant prisoners were in prison. Other dates like 21 January, the execution of Louis XVI, was not considered a holiday. It would have alienated a large section of the people who supported aristocracy and were royalists. Thus, instead of unifying France, it would have disintegrated it. The Bastille Day was celebrated without drawing any divisive