Fall of the Bastille
- Nick Boucher
- Jul 14
- 3 min read
Today marks the 237th anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille which served as the catalyst that began the French Revolution in full; and the myriads of governments that came and left during the decade to follow till the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1799 with the Consulate. Unlike many other revolutions throughout history though, the effects of the French Revolution are still felt to this very day, and it’s all thanks to individuals finally having enough and deciding to enact violence upon what they deemed to be symbol of power for their oppressors.
However, the Storming of the Bastille was not something that spawned out of thin air, but rather was the result of King Louis the XVI’s choices to refuse the National Assembly’s demands and even going as far to gather the military to squash any potential uprising. This resulted in turning Paris into a powder keg of violence just waiting for the other side to pull the trigger, with lower class groups gathered as many weapons and ammunition on July 13th so that they could fight against the expected assault upon them by their oppressor’s hand. The Bastille, in this context, served as a storehouse filled with not just arms, but also plenty of gunpowder that could allow muskets and even cannon to be supplied for the revolution.
So, on the 14th of July 1789, the Bastille fell under siege by a French mob that wished to protect themselves against tyranny which led to the death of nearly 100 revolutionaries. Yet instead of dispersing in fear, the worst outcome when dealing with a riot transpired, that being it only served to enrage the mob further and led to them attacking the Bastille with renewed vigor. Eventually the mob would be coordinated by French soldiers from across the city that did not wish to fire upon the civilian population and defected from the king’s authority; which in turn allowed for the mob to finally bring the Bastille’s defenders to heel as they destroyed the gate and stormed the courtyard.
While the Bastille was considered a victory against tyranny, it sadly also set the standard that this revolution needed to be bloodied; with the first victims being the Bastille guards who, instead of given any kind of trial as was the original plan, were instead ripped apart by an enraged mob. This pattern of overly violent actions would alienate the revolutionaries from both sympathy and aid from the rest of the world, for how can you aid a group when they actively keep changing who’s in charge every few years? Assuming that is they do not flip their policies and turn on those that are trying to aid their mission.
In the end, while many ideals we take for granted now as common fact came about during the French Revolution, the Storming of the Bastille would transform the revolution into a storm of frenzied instability that would only end with the rise of Napoleon as the first Consul of the Consulate in 1799. Needless violence that only served as virtue signaling amongst the mob did not need to transpire and yet did as the Bastille’s fall served not only that the Monarchy’s influence can bleed, but also that death was the fastest way to getting the general idea of what the population wanted.
As for how something nearly 240 years old could still affect things this far in the future, well there’s a few constant reminders given that allow for people to never forget the French Revolution’s effects. Be it again several policies, such as the separation of Church and State, to the fact that France’s national anthem and flag are literally aspects of the revolution given physical form. The national anthem of France is all about the Revolution and is brutal with its descriptions about taking down the monarchy; while the flag color scheme and design represent the first wave of National Assembly soldiers’ uniforms trained by Layfette. One could even argue that the French Revolution’s showing that a population could rise against the status quo in the desire to change it paved the way for the aftermath of wars like WW1 with Germany.
As for when the effects of the French Revolution would end? That is a question we will most likely not get the answer too any time soon. For it will require a door to be shut that still has ideas on how much power the people truly have if they unite; a door that I do not see closing anytime soon.
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