The Storming of the Bastille took place in Paris, France on July 14, 1789. This violent attack on the government by the people of France signaled the start of the French Revolution.
The Bastille was a fortress built in the late 1300s to protect Paris during the Hundred Years War. At the time of the revolution, Bastille was mostly used as a state prison by King Louis XVI.
There was a rumour that the Bastille was full of political prisoners. Commoner saw Bastille as a symbol of many of the oppression of the king. Revolutionary also thought that Bastille had stores of gunpowder that the revolutionaries needed for their weapons.
On the morning of July 14, 1789, the revolutionaries approached the Bastille. About 1000 members of a French social class called the Third Estate mostly craftsmen and store owners who lived in Paris stormed Bastille. They asked Governor de Launay (the military leader of the Bastille), surrender the prison and hand over the gunpowder. He refused hence the crowd became agitated. Some of the soldiers in the Bastille fired into the crowd, while some of the soldiers joined the side of the crowd. Ultimately de Launay surrendered the fort. After surrendering, Governor de Launay and three of his officers were killed by the crowd.
The success of the revolutionaries gave commoners the courage to rise up and fight against the nobles who had ruled them for so long.
Notes:
The date of the Storming of the Bastille, July 14, is celebrated today as the French National Day.
The men who took part in the storming were considered heroes during the revolution and took the title “Vainqueurs de la Bastille”, meaning “Winners of the Bastille.”
There were only seven prisoners (four of them were convicted forgers) in the Bastille at the time of storming of Bastille. They were set free after the attack. Hence the word rumour is used in the above explanation.
The Women’s March on Versailles:
Although the march is often referred to as the “Women’s” March on Versailles, there were men included in the crowd as well.
The main food of the commoners was bread. A poor French economy had led to a scarcity of bread and high prices. The people were hungry.
On the morning of October 5, 1789, a large group of women in a Paris marketplace began to revolt. They began to march through Paris demanding bread at a fair price. As they marched, more people joined the group and soon there were thousands of marchers.
A small group of women met with the king. He agreed to provide them with food from the king’s stores and promised more in the future. While some of the group left after the agreement, many people stayed and continued to protest. The revolutionaries demanded that the king should return to Paris with them. He agreed. The king and queen then traveled back to Paris with the crowd.
Reign of Terror:
The Reign of Terror was a dark and violent period of the French Revolution. Radicals took control of the revolutionary government. They arrested and executed anyone who they suspected might not be loyal to the revolution.
By 1793, the revolutionary government was in crisis. Radicals led by Maximilien Robespierre took over the government and started the Reign of Terror. During the Reign of Terror, France was ruled by a group of men called the Committee of Public Safety. The Reign of Terror began on September 5, 1793, and ended on July 27, 1794, when Robespierre was removed from power and executed.
The group of revolutionaries called Jacobins lead by Robespierre felt that it was their duty to preserve the revolution, even if it meant violence and terror. New laws were introduced during this period. One of these laws was called the “Law of Suspects.” It powered the government to arrest anyone who was even suspected as an enemy of the revolution. They created a court called the Revolutionary Tribunal for the trial of their political enemies. There were only two verdicts for the accused either innocent or was put to death under the guillotine. Queen Marie Antoinette was one of the first people executed during the Terror.
In some cases, revolutionaries accused people they didn’t like or wanted to get rid of without any evidence. Around 17,000 people were officially executed in France, including 2,639 in Paris. Many more died in prison or were beaten to death in the streets. Over 200,000 people were arrested.
On July 27, 1794, Robespierre has removed from power and the Reign of Terror was over. He was executed the next day.
Directory:
The government that ruled France during the final stage of the French Revolution is called the “Directory”. The government was based on the new constitution called the “Constitution of Year III.” The Directory ruled France for four years from November 2, 1795, to November 10, 1799. It came into power after the “Reign of Terror” when the country was ruled by the Committee of Public Safety.
The Directory had two wings. Namely, an executive branch called the “Five Directors” and a legislative branch called the “Corps Legislatif.” The Corps Legislatif was divided into two houses: the Council of Five Hundred and the Council of Ancients.
The Five Directors were five men who were selected by the Council of Ancients. They acted as the executive branch and were responsible for the day-to-day running of the country. They had no say in the laws or the taxes.
The duty of the Council of Five Hundred to propose new laws. The Council of Ancients had to vote on the laws proposed by the Five Hundred.
Failure of Directory:
When the Directory came into power, it was faced with many problems including widespread famine, civil war, internal corruption, war with neighboring countries and internal rivalries.
There was also a struggle for power within the directory between royalists (pro-king) and radical (die hard) revolutionaries.
The people were unhappy with the new government. The Directory used military force to put down uprisings. They also cancelled elections when they didn’t like the results.
Despite these struggles, the Directory helped France to recover somewhat from the Terror and set the stage for future governments.
End of French Revolution:
As the Directory became more and more corrupt, the military leaders of France grew in power.
One general Napoleon Bonaparte who allied himself with the Jacobins during the French Revolution became a national hero when he defeated the Austrians in Italy. In 1799, Napoleon put an end to the French Revolution when he overthrew the Directory and established the French Consulate. He would eventually crowned himself Emperor of France.
The Outcome of the French Revolution:
The French Revolution completely changed the social and political structure of France. It put an end to the French monarchy, feudalism. It took political power from the Catholic church.
It brought new ideas to Europe like liberty and freedom for the commoner, It also established the abolishment of slavery and the rights of women. These new ideas continued to influence many nations and helped to shape their modern-day governments.
India is the largest democracy. India’s democratic nature has roots in the French revolution.
