The Uses and Ultimate Demise of the Bastille
The Bastille is a building in Paris, France that began construction on April 22nd, 1370 under the rule of King Charles V. The construction was completed in 1783, under King Charles VI. The Bastille was a one-of-a-kind building, that represented the overwhelming power of the French government. Most people saw this building as frightening, because it had been used as a fortress, armory, and prison. It was the French citizen’s anger and fear that caused the Bastille’s ultimate demise, which took place during the time period of July 14th, 1789 through February 6, 1790. The Bastille was a unique fortress, armory, and prison that stood for many years until France’s own people destroyed it, representing
…show more content…
The people living under King Louis XVI’s rule were beginning to to revolt against him for living his lavish lifestyle that they could never possibly afford. This anger caused 900 Persians to travel to the Bastille, ready to fight against the rise in bread prices which were higher than they had ever been. There was also a rumor spreading around that French soldiers were on their way to the Bastille. They also heard that there were many weapons inside the Bastille. After hearing this, they found a way to open the drawbridge and storm into the building. They were not alone because some members of the French guard were aiding the mob. The prison warren, eventually conceded after much time spent fighting. When the people entered the Bastille, some prisoners escaped and the warren was killed. The crowd was not able to find the ammunition for the weapons so they began to tear down the building. This was not a usual revolt, as the experts of History.com stated, “This dramatic action signaled the beginning of the French Revolution, a decade of political turmoil and terror”. Although the revolutionaries did not completely destroy the building on that day, the government that was created post revolution ordered for its complete destruction. This led to its ultimate demise on February 6, 1790, in which the very last brick of the Bastille was given to the National Assembly (those who sparked the
Lands held by the commoners are taxed very heavily” (Arthur Young). The King and Queen were seen as the “Two-Headed Monster” which is illustrated in document 2. The common people were getting fed up with the reckless spending and weak leadership that the King had shown them. They were at the tip of their anger and when the Third Estate Gad been locked out of their meeting room it pushed them over the edge. They shortly after Stormed the Bastille, the Bastille was a Paris prison that housed most of the country’s gunpowder.
“In October 1793, Revolutionaries decided to make an example of counter-revolutionaries in Lyons. On one day, revolutionaries destroyed 1600 homes and chopped off 12 heads in five minutes” (Doc C). The revolutionary government did not accept any type of rebellion or disagreement no matter where you are in France or what class you are. They monitored all of France and would do everything in their power to end any opposing opinions. “Historians estimate that anywhere between 80,000 and 500,000 French people on both sides died in the Vendée in 1793” (Doc C).
It marked the day when French lower-class citizens and commoners would join the revolution. On July 14th, 1789 a crowd of roughly 800 angry citizens stormed the prison located in Paris. After successfully entering the prison the mob freed seven prisoners and took advantage of the recently received gunpowder to arm themselves. The Bastille was also seen as a symbol of the monarchy’s dictatorship, taking it down symbolized the beginning downfall of the monarchy. The fall of the Bastille caused The Great Fear, a period where the monarchy and nobility would start to fear the outcome of a soon-to-be revolution.
The meeting did not go the way Louis XVI expected. The third estate declared itself that National Assembly, Louis declared the assembly and void. He then called the army to restore order, the public grew with disagreement and a National Guard formed to resist Louis actions. On July 1789 Louis was forced to notice the National Assembly's authority, and on July 14 riots broke out in Paris and groups of people stormed the Bastille prison in a play of defiance toward Louis. For a time no one would respect Louis, however, he accepted advice from the nobility's and his wife Marie Antoinette.
During the Eighteenth Century, France had an absolute monarchy with Louis XVI as king and Marie Antoinette as queen. In that time period, French society was based upon a system of Estates where the clergy made up the First Estate; the nobility comprised the Second Estate, and everyone else including professionals, peasants, and the bourgeoisie made up the Third Estate. The Third Estate was immensely unhappy with the old regime, the Estates General, and Louis XVI’s leadership. France was also in the midst of a fiscal crisis due to the American Revolution, Louis XVI’s lavish lifestyle, the Seven Years War, and the tax exemption of the First and Second Estate. Following the surge of new ideas and impactful philosophers from the Enlightenment,
The Reign of Terror In September 1793 to July 1794, the Reign of Terror killed over 40,000 people in France using the guillotine a machine that made it a simple way to execute a mass amount of people. The Reign of Terror was led by no other than , Robespierre. He was trying to form a new government but instead caused thousands of people to be massacred. Ultimately, The Reign of Terror in France was not justified because the threats did not require it, the methods were too extreme and It did not support the ideals of the revolution.
Was The Reign Of Terror Justified? The French Revolution was a very problematic time period. After the execution of Louis XVI, the Reign of Terror began during the years of 1793 - 1794 which was led by French politician, Maximilien Robespierre and lasted for 18 months. This topic is controversial when the question, “Was the Reign of Terror justified?” is asked.
Also many French citizens fought against the military draft called the levée en masse and against laws that tried to abolish Christianity in France. France was being attacked from two fronts, outside invaders and by rebels and émigrés. Desperate times require desperate measures. The timeline enforces that The Reign of Terror was justified, it successfully fought enemies from both inside and outside of France. First, the counter-revolution in Western France fell in December 1793.
The French Revolution, which lasted from 1789 to 1799, was primarily a response to the poor leadership of King Louis XVI who had been ruling France at the time. A number of commoners took to the streets of Paris to protest against the monarchy after years of alienation and paying abundance of tax and fees. The bourgeoisie was also out of touch with the rigid social structure orchestrated by the regime as they were often excluded from law-making decisions and other political rights that were given exclusively to noblemen. Shortly after the monarchy had been abolished, the church became victimized at the hands of the revolutionaries who recognized the institution as a chunk of the Ancien Regime that needed to be destroyed. On that note, the French
In France, the people wanted revenge against the oppressive leadership and luxurious lifestyles of the rich in society. Upon finding out that the aristocrats have lost their property, they decide to take action by invading one of France’s most tightly guarded prisons, the Bastille.
The people of France tried to resolve issues peacefully but the king cared only about his power and acted at the expense of the citizens. According to the French Revolution portion of the Encyclopedia Britannica Online, the bourgeoisie wanted to have political power and the peasants did not want the feudal system to continue (French Revolution 2). A large meeting was held to discuss and solve issues, but, “rumors of an ‘aristocratic conspiracy’ by the king and the privileged to overthrow the Third Estate led to the Great Fear of July 1789.” (French Revolution 2). With the king of France being unwilling to actually resolve any conflicts, the only choice that was left was to overthrow the government as a whole and rebuild it into being a more fair and just system.
If the storming of bastille was so historical and known as the independence day of France, what exactly are they celebrating? What I want to know is how many casualties there were at the Storming of the Bastille. To give that topic further detail who were the people who were that stormed the prison, who died, who got injured, how they died, and how many. Parisian progressives and mutinous troops storm and destroy the Bastille, an imperial post that had come to symbolize the oppression of the Bourbon rulers. On July 13, progressives with black powder rifles started shooting at troopers standing gatekeeper on the Bastille's towers and after that took spread in the Bastille's patio when Launay's men shot back.
The Reign of Terror was not justified In 1789 the French Revolution upset a centuries old French applecart. The French Revolution began to attempt to form a new government, but Robespierre wanted to take it farther to a republican government. King, Louis XVI was having his troubles and France was in a serious debt because of expensive wars in Europe. Louis XVI called the Estates General, an assembly of 1,200 men, to help solve the financial crisis.
In the French Revolution the storming of the Bastille was one of the key events that revolved around political issues. On 14 July 1789, furious revolutionaries had stormed the Bastille. In fact, it was not only a source to make a statement in opposition to the Monarchy, but also the mob gained weapons that were stored in the prison. The mob, including a few of the King 's soldiers, stormed the Bastille. After a while, prisoners were set free.
This formidable fortress posed problems for the rebels as it seemed impenetrable. There was a spell of negotiations but the peoples patience wore thin and the cannon that had been taken from the veterans hospital was dragged to face the Bastille gate. At such close range, there was no other option for those inside but to surrender. This they did on the 14 July. While this was taking place, the assembly were in session at the palace of Versailles.