9 Questions
What event on 14 July 1789 prompted a state of alarm in Paris?
The king commanded troops to move into the city.
How many men and women gathered in front of the town hall to form a people’s militia?
7,000
What was the primary goal of the mob when they stormed the Bastille?
To find a hoard of ammunition.
What was the outcome of the armed fight at the Bastille?
The commander of the Bastille was killed.
What did the Bastille symbolize to the people of Paris?
The despotic power of the king.
Why were the fragments of the demolished Bastille sold in the markets?
As souvenirs of its destruction.
What was one of the main reasons for the riots following the storming of the Bastille?
The high price of bread.
What significant event was ultimately linked to the storming of the Bastille by historians?
The execution of the king in France.
What did artists do soon after the demolition of the Bastille?
Make prints commemorating the event.
Study Notes
The French Revolution
- On 14 July 1789, Paris was in a state of alarm due to the king's command to move troops into the city.
- Rumors spread that the king would order the army to open fire on citizens, leading to 7,000 people gathering in front of the town hall to form a people's militia.
- The militia broke into government buildings to search for arms, and a group of several hundred people stormed the Bastille, a fortress-prison, to find hoarded ammunition.
- The commander of the Bastille was killed in the armed fight, and the seven prisoners were released.
- The Bastille was hated by the people because it symbolized the despotic power of the king.
- The fortress was demolished, and its stone fragments were sold in markets as souvenirs of its destruction.
- The days that followed saw widespread rioting in Paris and the countryside, primarily due to the high price of bread.
- Historians later viewed the event as the beginning of a chain of events that led to the execution of the king in France, although this outcome was not anticipated by most people at the time.
Learn about the events that led to the Storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789, a pivotal moment in the French Revolution. Discover how rumors of the king's command sparked a people's militia and the subsequent attack on the fortress-prison.
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