Storming of the Bastille

In mid-1789, a revolution was brewing in France. In Paris, popular discontent boiled over with the storming of the Bastille, a former fortress and prison that was a powerful symbol of the monarchy and old order. Its storming is considered by many historians as one of the pivotal moments of the early French Revolution, propelling the revolution forward and marking the participation of common citizens. Learn about the storming of the Bastille in 1789, the storming of the Bastille's causes, and the storming of the Bastille's significance in this explanation.

Storming of the Bastille: Definition

The storming of the Bastille took place on July 14, 1789. Approximately 1,000 mostly working-class people in Paris surrounded and eventually took control of the Bastille, a castle fortress used as a prison and armory. The crowd freed the prisoners and seized the arms and gunpowder stored in the fortress.

The storming of the Bastille was the first significantly violent event of the French Revolution and signaled that radical change was underway in France. It both foreshadowed the move towards constitutional government and the chaotic violence of the more radical stages of the revolution to come.

Learn more about the causes of the storming of the Bastille, the details of events of the storming of the Bastille, and the storming of the Bastille's significance for the French Revolution in the following sections.

Fig 1 - Painting of the Storming of the Bastille.

Storming of the Bastille: Causes

There were both long-term and short-term causes of the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution more broadly.

Storming of the Bastille: Long-Term Causes

1789 was a turning point in French history as the year the French Revolution began. However, the causes dated to earlier and were varied.

First, France had a lopsided social order. Second, France's support for US independence and spending on other wars, they had to raise taxes.

Perhaps more problematic was the bad harvest in the years leading up to 1789. These harvests meant there was less bread, which raised prices. By 1789, the price of bread had reached all-time highs, and the average working-class person was spending up to 80% of their income on bread. The day of the storming of the Bastille, July 14, 1789, marked the highest bread prices on record for the entire 19th century.¹

These problems created an explosive situation. To help address these problems, King Louis XVI called a meeting of the representatives of the Three Estates, known as the Estates-General, to attempt to resolve them.

Fig 2 - Depiction of the 3rd Estate carrying the aristorcarcy and church.

The National Assembly and Move Towards Reform

One of the problems was that each estate had an equal vote, even though the Third Estate represented the vast majority of the French people. To remedy this, the Third Estate declared themselves a National Assembly with the principle of one vote per representative, which would give them a majority of votes and a chance to enact fundamental changes.

The National Assembly vowed in the Tennis Court Oath to write a new constitution for France and declared themselves the National Constituent Assembly.

Fears of Conservative Reaction

The immediate cause of the storming of the Bastille was fears of a conservative counterrevolutionary reaction.

First, soldiers were called in to surround Paris, many of which were foreign mercenaries, and many feared they would have no issues with firing on French citizens if ordered by the king. By June 1, there were 30,000 troops outside the city. Second, the king fired several ministers and advisors, including Jacques Necker, a liberal reformist sympathetic to the Third Estate and very popular.

These actions provoked fear that the king was preparing to intervene to shut down the National Assembly and forcibly take control of the streets of Paris.

Storming of the Bastilles: Events

These fears set the stage for the events of the Storming of the Bastille on July 14.

Clashes in Paris

Louis XVI fired Necker on July 11. The following day, crowds gathered in public squares in Paris. Eventually, clashes with authorities began, and widespread looting of food and weapons occurred. In many cases, French soldiers refused to fire on protestors and even joined them.

Storming of the Bastille: A Timeline

On the morning of July 14, approximately 1,000 mostly urban artisans surrounded the Bastille, an old fortress and prison. The crowd came demanding the small garrison turn over the 250 barrels of gunpowder stored there.

The garrison leader Bernard-René de Launay refused to hand the gunpowder over. Around 1:30 pm, the crowd rushed into the outer courtyard. A few climbed the walls and opened the gates to the inner courtyard. Soldiers tried to order the crowd to stop to no avail.

At some point, shots rang out, and violence between the crowd and guards began. A standoff was ensured, with an outnumbered group of soldiers with only two days of supplies now facing off against an angry mob. When the besiegers brought up a cannon to fire on the fort, de Launay decided to surrender.

At 5:30 pm, the gates to the fortress were lowered, and the crowd poured in, seizing Launay, freeing the prisoners, and taking the gunpowder and other weapons in the armory. It is believed that 98 protestors and one guard were killed in the violence.

Fig 4 - Painting of the Storming of the Bastille.

Storming of the Bastille Significance

The storming of the Bastille's significance was enormous. While the fortress was not so essential anymore, it carried enormous symbolic power. The aftermath of the attack signaled a new radicalism and participation of the urban working class in the revolution and helped push it forward.

Aftermath

De Launay was seized by the mob and shot and stabbed numerous times. The mayor Jacques de Flesselles was also shot, and their heads were put on pikes and paraded through Paris.

In response to the events, King Louis XVI withdrew most troops stationed around Paris. He also announced that he would reappoint Necker. The Bastille was earmarked for destruction and torn down over the next five months.

Storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution

Clearly, the Bastille storming had a large impact on the course of the French Revolution.

The Sans-Culottes Emerge as a Significant Force

One of the significant effects of the storming of the Bastille on the French Revolution was the elevation of the urban working class as influential drivers of the revolution. They were called sans-culottes, literally translated as without breeches, due to their use of long pants instead of the knee-breeches or culottes favored by the wealthy.

Up to this point, the events of the revolution had been carried out by the most well-to-do bourgeoisie representatives of the Third Estate. The lower classes had taken a leading role in driving the revolution forward.

Violence as a Characteristic of the Revolution

The reformist actions of the National Constituent Assembly had also been peaceful up to this point. Therefore, another consequence of the storming of the Bastille during the French Revolution was the use of violent and direct action by the people.

The storming of the Bastille foreshadowed further direct action by the working and lower classes. Beginning a few days later, on July 20, the Great Fear started in the countryside as peasants feared a counterrevolution from landowners. In towns and villages throughout France, they seized local control and created militias, often killing landowners and nobles.

A few months later, the Women's March on Versailles occurred. Once the more radical phase of the revolution began, violence and the seeming mob rule of the sans-culottes during the Reign of Terror characterized the French Revolution.

Fig 5 - Armed sans-culottes.

Signal that the Old Order Was Over

Just as the Bastille was chosen as a target in part due to its symbolic representation of the monarchy and old order, its collapse signaled the end of that order.

While technically Louis XVI remained king of France, he had clearly lost control. He was now subject to the demands of the people, as his reappointment of Necker showed. Any hope of crushing popular demands or stopping the revolution in its tracks was now gone. The storming of the Bastille provoked many noblemen to leave France entirely, emigrating to Italy and other neighboring countries.

Historians debate whether the storming of the Bastille should be considered the start of the French Revolution. It is celebrated as a national holiday today in France. Some historians would contend the declaration of the National Assembly by the Third Estate should be seen as the start of the revolution. Meanwhile, others argue the storming of the Bastille is more important as it marked the entry of the popular classes and moved events from declarations and calls for reform to a full breakdown and eventual dismantling of the old order.