Storming of the Bastille
14 Jul 1789 to 14 Jul 1789
The Storming of the Bastille, dated July 14th, 1789, created a disturbance in class shift in French society. The hierarchy on the upper half was the clergy, and then the nobility in that order; the third estate consisted of peasants and workers, whom of which built up 80% of the population. Despite making up such a large portion of the population, they were still below under the poverty line and treated as lesser humans. The significance behind the Bastille is it was not just a normal prison; it was used as a monarch-operated prison as the king could imprison anyone he felt was a danger to his rule. The main intention of the protestors was to overwhelm the guards and gain control of the weapons beings stored within. The actual storming happened within a single day, as it started with negotiations between the Third Estate and the guards of the Bastille, but quickly turned violent as peasants stormed the prison. Although this one event did not single-handedly bring down the class structure implemented into France’s society, it was quite possibly the largest event in the broader category of the Revolution of 1789. However, what the Storming of the Bastille did contribute to was the lynching of two big figures under the monarchy, Joseph Foullon De Doue (the head of finances) and Louis Bénigne François Bertier de Sauvigny (an attendant). It also inspired the population around France to create municipalities for civic government.
Works Cited:
Dowson, Thomas. Finding Remains of the Bastille in Paris Today. 14 July 2019, archaeology-travel.com/travel-reports/where-is-the-bastille-today/.
History.com Editors. “Bastille Day.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 21 June 2017, www.history.com/topics/france/bastille-day.
“Storming of the Bastille in the French Revolution.” History Crunch - History Articles, Summaries, Biographies, Resources and More, www.historycrunch.com/storming-of-the-bastille.html.
“Storming of the Bastille.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Oct. 2020, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille.