July 14, 1789

On this day in history in 1789 the French Revolution began with the 'storming of the Bastille.'

History of Unrest

Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

At the time of the Revolution, France was being ruled by Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Both of them spent money extravagantly, even though they already had debt from their predecessor. They also spent a lot of funds helping the American colonies win independence from Britain during their revolution. Essentially, they had led the French government to the brink of economic disaster. Additionally, crop failures in 1788 brought nationwide famine. Inflation caused prices to rise so high that workers spent over 85% of their wages on bread alone. Unemployment was also rampant. In turn, the French people were not happy with their government by the time the year turned 1789.

The Bastille

The Bastille was built in the 1300s when the French were fighting the Hundred Years' War against the English. It was meant to protect the eastern entrance to Paris. It was a massive stone building with 100-foot-high walls and a wide moat. It had more than 80 soldiers and 30 Swiss mercenaries standing guard.

The Place de la Bastille square in Paris where the Bastille used to stand

The building not only served as a fortress but as a prison as well. It held political dissidents, many of which were imprisoned without a trial. It was scheduled to be demolished in 1789; at the time it held only seven prisoners. After men stormed the Bastille, starting the French Revolution, it was fully physically destructed and no vestige of the prison remains. Today, it is The Place de la Bastille square in Paris.

"The Storming of the Bastille"

The Storming of the Bastille

On July 14, 1789 revolutionaries and troops mutinying against the government stormed and dismantled the Bastille. The fortress had come to symbolize the tyranny of the monarchs, which is why it was the focus for the mutinous troops. The crowd, armed with muskets, swords, and makeshift weapons, gathered around the Bastille until the military governor of the fortress eventually raised a white flag of surrender as more and more Parisians joined the mob. Capturing the Bastille was symbolic for the French cause and gave momentum to the French Revolution's start.