THE STORMING OF THE BASTILLE

(FRENCH REVOLUTION)

By Martorell Comenius Team

Third Estate carrying the First Estate (clergy) and the Second Estate (nobility) on its back.

DURING THE REIGN OF LOUIS XVI, FRANCE FACED A MAJOR ECONOMIC CRISIS, PARTIALLY INITIATED BY THE COST OF INTERVENING IN THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION, AND EXACERBATED BY A REGRESSIVE SYSTEM OF TAXATION.

FA C E D W I T H T H E F I N A N C I A L C R I S I S , T H E K I N G APPOINTED JACQUES NECKER AS A FINANCE M I N I S T E R , N E C K E R P R O P O S E D A N E W TA X C O D E T H AT I N C L U D E D A L A N D TA X O F T H E N O B I L I T Y AND CLERGY

THE KING HAD TO ANNOUNCE THE CALLING O F T H E S TAT E S - G E N E R A L F O R M AY 1 7 8 9 . I T WA S F O R T H E F I R S T T I M E , I N O V E R A CENTURY

T H E N O B I L I T Y, R E F U S E D T O A I D K I N G L O U I S X V I T H R O U G H T H E PAY M E N T O F TA X E S A N D T H E R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S O F T H E T H I R D S TAT E A S K E D F O R M O R E R E P R E S E N TAT I O N , B U T T H E K I N G D I D NOT ACCEPT

O P E N LY D E F Y I N G L O U I S X V I , T H E T H I R D S TAT E M E T O N J U N E 2 0 I N N AT I O N A L A S S E M B LY A N D V O W E D N O T T O L E AV E T H E P L A C E , W I T H O U T H AV I N G P R O V I D E D T H E N AT I O N W I T H A C O N S T I T U T I O N T H AT G U A R A N T E E D RIGHTS.

A M A J O R I T Y O F T H E R E P R E S E N TAT I V E S O F T H E

M A N Y PA R I S I A N S W E R E A F R A I D T H AT A R R I V I N G S O L D I E R S , M O S T LY F O R E I G N M E R C E N A R I E S , H A D B E E N S U M M O N E D T O S H U T D O W N T H E N AT I O N A L C O N S T I T U E N T A S S E M B LY. PA R I S WA S S O O N C O N S U M E D B Y R I O T S , C H A O S , A N D WIDESPREAD LOOTING. THE MOBS SOON HAD THE SUPPORT OF SOME OF THE FRENCH GUARD, WHO WERE ARMED AND TRAINED

ON THE MORNING OF 14 JULY 1789, THE CITY OF PARIS WAS IN A STATE OF ALARM. THE DEMONSTRATORS HAD EARLIER STORMED THE HTEL DES INVALIDES TO GET ARMS ,BUT THE GUNPOWDER WAS STORED AT THE BASTILLE, A MEDIEVAL FORTRESS A ND PRISON THAT REPRESENTED

T H E B A S T I L L E W A S N E A R LY E M P T Y O F P R I S O N E R S ; I T W A S H O U S I N G O N LY S E V E N O L D MEN. THE REGULAR GARRISON CONSISTED OF 82 VETERAN SOLDIERS, BUT IT HAD BEEN

D E L A U N A Y, T H E G O V E R N O R O F T H E B A S T I L L E , R E A L I S E D T H AT H I S T R O O P S C O U L D N O T H O L D O U T M U C H L O N G E R A N D H E F I N I L LY O P E N E D T H E G AT E S .

D E L A U N AY W A S T H E N S TA B B E D R E P E AT E D LY A N D F E L L , A N D H I S H E A D WA S S AW N O F F A N D F I X E D O N A PIKE TO BE CARRIED THROUGH THE STREETS.

THE STORMING OF THE BASTILLE AND THE S U B S E Q U E N T D E C L A R AT I O N O F T H E R I G H T S O F M A N A N D O F T H E C I T I Z E N WA S A N I M P O R TA N T E V E N T O F T H I S O P E N I N G S TA G E O F T H E FRENCH REVOLUTION.

The Bastille was demolished from 16 July by a private entrepreneur who sold much of its stones as souvenirs.

You can still see some traces on the platform of the Metro line 5, in the Bastille station. You can also see the remains of the foundations of the Freedom Tower

N O W A D A Y S , T H E 1 4 T H O F J U L Y, B A S T I L L E D A Y IN ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES, IS THE F R E N C H N A T I O N A L D A Y, I T I S F O R M A L L Y C A L L E D L A F T E N AT I O N A L E