Introduction
Bastille was a prison on the eastern side of Paris. It was on 14 July in the year 1789 when the prison was attacked by an angry and aggressive mob who felt that the prison had become a dictatorial point (Lüsebrink, Reichardt, and Schürer 44). The prison was used to hold common criminals. It was mainly constructed to defend the wall on the eastern part of Paris. Initially, it was a royal tyranny before it started holding political criminals. Prisoners were arrested in secret, and they were not given a chance to hear their trials or charges. Those that were released were told not communicate about the experiences or conditions of the prison. The issue of secrecy made the citizen of the state very angry, and that is how they planned to storm it. The mob together with some of the king’s soldier’s invaded Bastille because it was weakly guarded. They were in search of more ammunition and weapons. Marquis De Launay, who was the commander in charge, tried to surrender, but the angry mob did not accept, and he was killed. The seven prisoners that were held were released. That marked a symbolic occurrence in France, and it is still celebrated up to date.
Causes of the Bastille Storming
The main reason for storming Bastille was the need for more ammunition. The citizens of Paris had stolen some weapons so that they could defend themselves. Besides acquiring ammunition, there were other factors that made them have the need to form a rebellion movement.
There was a shortage of food in the country, especially bread which was mostly depended on (Apel 65). Women were more vulnerable to the situation as many were forced to indulge in prostitution so that they could offer food to their children and their families. Women wrote a petition letter to the king requesting him to make some changes for the women in the state. In the petition letter, they requested more educations programs. Women were not allowed to meet as a group and to participate in voting; these were some of the factors that hastened the revolution in France.
The act of the king allowing the Swiss guards and German mercenaries to restore order around the Versailles made more citizens of the state to live in constant fear. The citizens feared that the troops would be used against them, and they found it worthy to defend themselves. The people did not only plan to storm the Bastille, but also to invade the munitions store.
As the financial adviser of the King approached him with a request for reforms to be made in the tax system, the King together with his nobles resisted the changes. That resulted in the rise in the price of bread and an eventual shortage of the breads. That occurred after poor harvests in 1788, which was followed by cold winter (Apel 65). The people felt that a revolution should be held to end the suffering that they were undergoing.
The Effects of Storming the Bastille
There were more impacts after the storming of Bastille. It was more of a declaration of human rights as it was observed that the human rights of the people were being violated. It was a symbolic act, which led to the end of oppression in the state and gave the people of the state some hope. Those prisoners that were arrested and held in the Bastille marked the beginning of their liberty, as the now they were no longer prisoners. The King had resisted efforts to make changes to the state because he believed that the strong troops he had would protect him from any form of violence or war in the state.
It was after the storming of Bastille that the King agreed to sign a declaration of the rights of man and citizens (Brooks, Moore and Wigginton 221). Women had written some of the parts of the declaration because they felt that reforms should be made, at last. The political system of the state also changed after the storming of Bastille. The importance of the constitution in the state was understood and the importance of protecting the rights of every member of the society.
The event is still remembered in France as it marked the end of the despotic rule and liberation of the people (McKinley 193). The people on the streets were also recognized, and this was a means to re-establish the lost freedom.
Conclusion
It is evident that storming of the Bastille was as a result of disgruntlement of the people of France. The need to obtain ammunition for their self-defense facilitated the storming. The people of the state were worried by the large troops of the King, and they felt that the king would use the troops against them. They found it worthy to defend themselves by invading the Bastille prison where there was a store for the ammunition. The fact that the prisoners were arrested in secrecy, and they were not given a chance to hear their trials and the charges against them made the people angry, and that fuelled the rebellion. In addition, the political system of the state was not favorable to the citizens as taxes and prices of commodity rose to a point that many could not afford the bread, which was essential for survival. The impact of the storming of Bastille was that it marked the beginning of freedom and the end of oppression to the people.
Works Cited
Apel, Dora. War Culture and the Contest of Images. 2012. Print.
Brooks, Joanna, Lisa L. Moore, and Caroline Wigginton. Transatlantic Feminisms in the Age of
Revolutions. New York: Oxford University Press, 2011. Internet resource.
Lüsebrink, Hans-Jürgen, Rolf Reichardt, and Norbert Schürer. The Bastille: A History of a
Symbol of Despotism and Freedom. Durham: Duke University Press, 1997. Print.
McKinley, C A. Illegitimate Children of the Enlightenment: Anarchists and the French
Revolution, 1880-1914. New York: P. Lang, 2008. Print.
