Hello my friends,
Today is a very important day for France and also for others nations because this day is a great symbol !14 juillet ! I want to share it with you to give you the sense and why this event is so important !
Bastille Day, the French national holiday, commemorates the storming of the Bastille, which took place on 14 July 1789 and marked the beginning of the French Revolution. The Bastille was a prison and a symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th's Ancient Regime. By capturing this symbol, the people signaled that the king's power was no longer absolute: power should be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.
The demonstrators had earlier stormed the Hotel des Invalides to gather arms (29,000 to 32,000 muskets, but without powder or shot), and were mainly seeking to acquire the large quantities of arms and ammunition stored at the Bastille - on the 14th there were over 13,600 kilograms (30,000 lb) of gunpowder stored there.
The list of vainqueurs de la Bastille has around 600 names, and the total of the crowd was probably less than one thousand. The crowd gathered outside around mid-morning, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of the guns and the release of the arms and gunpowder.
Although the Bastille only held seven prisoners at the time of its capture, the storming of the prison was a symbol of liberty and the fight against oppression for all French citizens; like the Tricolore flag, it symbolized the Republic's three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all French citizens. It marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of the sovereign Nation, and, eventually, the creation of the (First) Republic, in 1792.
Bastille Day was declared the French national holiday on 6 July 1880, on Benjamin Raspail's recommendation, when the new Republic was firmly entrenched. Bastille Day has such a strong signification for the French because the holiday symbolizes the birth of the Republic. As in the US, where the signing of the Declaration of Independence signaled the start of the American Revolution, in France the storming of the Bastille began the Great Revolution. In both countries, the national holiday thus symbolizes the beginning of a new form of government.
The French Revolution had numerous causes which are greatly simplified and summarized here:
* Parliament wanted the king to share his absolute powers with an oligarchic parliament.
* Priests and other low-level religious figures wanted more money.
* Nobles also wanted to share some of the king's power.
* The middle class wanted the right to own land and to vote.
* The lower class were hostile toward everyone and farmers were angry about tithes and feodal rights.
* Some historians claim that the revolutionaries were opposed to Catholicism more than to the king or the upper classes.
Here was a resume of this very great eventhope you appreciated it
don't hesitate to ask for more detail
see you soon
arc
3 comments:
Congratulations to all my French brothers and sisters. The words that inspired the French Revolution: Liberté, égalité, fraternité are still true today as they were over 200 years ago when they were first uttered. The world is a better place when all men and women are allowed to live, work, worship, think and create with freedom and without man-imposed restrictions.
July seems to be a good month for independence, three great nations, near and dear to my heart, celebrate their "birth" this month: Canada (July 1), USA (July 4) and France (July 14).
Thank you Arc for a very nice and informative article.
Enjoy your special day together with your fellow contrymen.
Arc, thank you for the information. I guess today we are all French today. BTW, thanks for the Statute of Liberty, nice gift!
Arc, this was a good and very informative article. The USA and France share many common, and deep, bonds. Sorry for the late comment, but I have been busy in RL. Also, best of luck on your ride Monday. It is a tough climb, but I know you will do well. "Citius, Altius, Fortius"
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