Storming of the Bastille
1789 CE
Symbolic starting point of the French Revolution.
Historical Context
France faced a severe economic and grain crisis. King Louis XVI massed foreign troops around Paris, provoking fear of a military coup against the new National Assembly.
The Event
On July 14, 1789, the Parisian people, seeking gunpowder after looting muskets from Les Invalides, besieged the Bastille fortress. Governor de Launay surrendered and was lynched.
Key Figures
Camille Desmoulins (instigator), Marquis de Launay (beheaded Governor), Jacques Necker (Minister whose dismissal triggered the riot).
Aftermath
Collapse of absolute royal authority. The event saved the National Assembly, sparked noble emigration, and marked the entry of 'the people' as an armed political force.
Legacy & Culture
Universal symbol of the fight against oppression. Now the French national holiday (since 1880), the event embodies the triumph of liberty over despotism.
Historiography
Marxist historiography saw a proletarian revolution. Revisionists (Furet) note the Bastille was almost empty, defining it as a massive psychological symbol rather than a strategic victory.
Sources and References
Procès-verbaux des Électeurs de Paris (1789)
Mémoires de Jean-Sylvain Bailly, maire de Paris
Jules Michelet, Histoire de la Révolution française