by Mary Bubbins

Created on: June 26, 2008

They were starving. They were homeless. They were being lied to by a monarchy that today would be considered a dictatorship. And they were angry. They were the Parisians of France in 1789 who lived under the law of King Louis XVI and his wife, Antoinette. Then came the day when they decided to change it all, the day that still lives on as the turning point in the history of France. The storming of the Bastille.

France, in the year 1789, was a year of poor economic conditions for its citizens. While its people suffered many hardships and struggled to feed themselves and their families, King Louis XVI and Antoinette lived lavishly, never hungering for food or lacking for riches. They reigned with complete control and cared none about those who lived under their rule. This was common knowledge and if anyone dared to utter a word against the monarchy, they were placed in a fort called chastel Saint-Antoine, better known as the Bastille. But their reign would soon be coming to an end, and a revolution was about to begin, a revolution that would last more than ten years, a revolution that would give the power of the nation back to its people.

The Bastille was perhaps the most hated symbol of power during the reign of Louis XVI. He used it as a means of quieting those who spoke against him, those who dare try to bring the truth of his corrupt government to light. There was no freedom of speech in his France, only life the way that he saw fit, and that life can be summed up in one common addage. The rich grew richer while the poor grew poorer. And the Bastille was the heart of his means of control.

The storming of the Bastille was not a spur of the moment attack, but rather a plan that was put into motion by those who hated the monarchy and all that it stood for. Word of the plan actually leaked and so those who guarded the Bastille, 82 veterans and 32 Swiss mercenaries, made small repairs in the week preceeding the attack, believing these repairs would be enough of a defense. They honestly felt they had no real cause for worry, expecting only a small mob of angry Parisians, and so their preparations were minimal. What they didn't know was that 300 french soldiers had deserted their ranks in the military to join forces with the mob that already totaled over 1000.

It was in the early morning hours of July 14, 1789, the guards' minor repairs were easily ripped apart as the citizens of France surrounded the Bastille in the name of liberty and freedom. There were seven

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