The Storming of the Bastille

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The Storming of the Bastille

• 14th July 1789

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Why is the 14th July important in France?

• Every year in France, there is a public holiday
  on the 14th of July.
• There are feasts, parties, firework displays, and
  concerts as the French remember the most
  important moment of the French Revolution.

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The Tennis Court Oath

• The third estate in France were demanding change
  they wanted some basic rights.
• However, the King and Queen refused to accept any
  changes.
• Therefore, many protestors met at a local tennis
  court and vowed to stick together until they had
  achieved their goals.

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From protest to revolution

• As the summer of 1789 went on, however, the
  situation in Paris became desperate. Poor
  harvests meant thousands were starving.
• Rather than simply asking the King to make
  changes, the poor began to think that their only
  option was outright revolution. They decided it
  was time to act.

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What was the Bastille?

• The Bastille was a prison in Paris where the King
  kept his political prisoners.
• The Parisiens believed it to be a horrible place
  where many innocent Frenchmen were forced to
  suffer.

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What happened?

• Over 60,000 workers stormed the prison. Chaos
  broke out and some were killed.
• The workers captured the prison governor and
  killed him.
• It is uncertain how many prisoners were released
  at the time they claimed it was hundreds but
  the prison was quite small.

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What did this mean?

• The storming of the Bastille showed that the King
  no longer had authority.
• Riots broke out across the city and no-one
  listened to the King. The people of France had
  spoken.

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The Storming of the Bastille