The Storming of the Bastille
The French Revolution of 1789 to 1799 revealed that extreme nationalism, fanaticism, and an “us vs. them” mentality can cause unconscionable cruelty.
July 14, 1789
After acquiring a time machine, I decided to witness some of the most infamous moments of the French Revolution. Before my journey back in time, I changed into an outfit befitting a common worker of the year 1789. I knew that blending in was crucial because looking like an aristocrat would mean a sure trip to the Guillotine, so I wore loose, cotton, tricolored-striped pants “sans-culottes” (without knee breeches), a hip-length wool peasant’s jacket, and wooden shoes. I also wore a liberty cap, a symbol of freedom. Last but certainly not least, I put on a blue, red and white striped ribbon, also known as a cockade, a symbol of the revolution.
I set the timestamp to July 14, 1789 and the location to the Bastille, a state prison in Paris. After a few brief moments of travel, I stepped out into the streets of Paris around noon. It was very crowded, and I was able to overhear some of the conversations. The people were grumbling about the huge national debt and heavy taxes imposed on ordinary people. They were also furious about food shortages and high grain prices. They were disappointed that, two months ago, a meeting of the Estates-General, in which they gave the king a list of grievances, resulted only in endless arguments over voting procedures and did not bring about any improvements. They were also angry that the king had fired Jacques Necker, the finance minister, for making the royal budget public. There was fear and resentment that last month Louis XVI had placed many more troops around Paris. It seemed that the people had been searching the city all night to gather all the weapons they could get their hands on from houses and shops. They had also raided a military hospital and procured thousands of guns and five cannons. Dissatisfied with their gatherings, they had decided to rob the Bastille for more weapons and gunpowder. Also, they were eager to take it down because it was a symbol of despotism.
I tried to stay apart from the crowd for my own safety, but I was soon swept up in the masses, unable to leave for fear of looking like a coward or spy. Therefore, I pretended to join in, shouting with the five or six thousand angry revolutionaries. Along with their two canons, we marched up to the Bastille, which was guarded by 100 men. Among the crowd, there were merchants, soldiers, cabinetmakers, locksmiths, cobblers, hairdressers, tailors, stonemasons, and gardeners crossing the courtyard. Many of these people looked like they were not used to using weapons. A wine shop owner named Cholat stepped up to fire the cannon. A Bastille guard asked us what we wanted. The people shouted, “The surrender of the Bastille!”
The governor of the Bastille, Marquis de Launay, ordered his troops to fire upon us. About one hundred people fell dead, and almost that many were wounded. Outraged, the crowd surged forward and began fighting back. I took shelter as bullets were flying back and forth. I cowered and watched as the drawbridge was destroyed by a cannon. I tried to call away some children who were trying to pick up the bullets on the ground, but they did not listen and were killed. Once inside, the revolutionaries freed the seven prisoners. I asked who the prisoners were, and one revolutionary told me, “four counterfeiters, a count, and two mentally disturbed men.”
At midday, I heard the mob cheering. Suddenly, the troops of the French Guard had switched sides and joined the mob. The crowd overtook the Bastille, stole mountains of gunpowder and arms, seized the governor, his officers, a gunner, two very old guards, and others, and dragged them to the place of execution. The crowd then swarmed on the governor, shouted insults at him, stabbed him from all directions, cut off his head, and carried it away on top of a spike. There was a sign on the bloody spike that read, “Disloyal and treacherous enemy of the people.” I stifled the urge to throw up and pretended to cheer.
I was relieved when the bloodshed and subsequent celebrations had ended, and the city was quiet again. While I understood the desire for freedom from an oppressive monarchy, it was difficult to imagine that this day of carnage would be celebrated as Bastille Day for hundreds of years.
Bibliography:
Esguerra, Clarissa. “French Revolutionary Fashion.” Unframed. August 2016. unframed.lacma.org/2016/08/03/french-revolutionary-.
“An eyewitness account of the attack on the Bastille (1789).” Alpha History. alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/eyewitness-attack-on-the-bastille-1789/.
“French Revolution - Source 2.” The National Archives. March 2024. www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/french-revolution/source-2/.
McPhee, Peter. The French Revolution, 1789-1799. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2002. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.eznvcc.vccs.edu/lib/nvcc/reader.action?docID=689302&c=RVBVQg&ppg=62.
“A Paris Newspaper on the Storming of the Bastille (1789).” Alpha History. alphahistory.com/frenchrevolution/paris-newspaper-storming-of-the-bastille-1789/.
Platon, Mircea. “Storming the Bastille (July 14, 1789): Letter from Thomas Jefferson.” National Archives and Records Administration. Eyewitness Originals from the National Archives. www.archives.gov/exhibits/eyewitness/html.php?section=1.
“Sabots.” Aroostook County Historical & Art Museum. Aroostook County Historical & Art Museum. 2022. https://www.houltonmuseum.org/sabots.
Toohey, Joanna. “Storming of the Bastille Overview.” Scribd. University of Colorado. October 2017. ceJourImmortelTheStormingOfTheBastilleAndTheFormatio%20.