Bastille Day
Le Quatorze Juillet
The French national holiday is called Le Quatorze Juillet (the Fourteenth of July), not “le jour de la Bastille” (Bastille Day) like in English. It commemorates the storming of this famous prison on 14 July 1789 and the start of the French Revolution. A symbol of the absolute and arbitrary power of Louis the 16th’s Ancient Regime, the Bastille’s capture by the people proved that the king’s power was no longer absolute: the French demanded that it be based on the Nation and be limited by a separation of powers.
Despite holding only seven prisoners in 1789, the storming of the prison became a symbol of freedom and the fight against oppression. Like the tricolor flag, it represented the Republic’s three ideals: Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity for all. With the end of the absolute monarchy, the sovereign Nation was born and, in 1792, the First Republic was invented.
They claimed their right to self-determination.
To commemorate the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, delegates from every region of France met in Paris for the Fête de la Fédération. They proclaimed their allegiance to a single national community and claimed their right to self-determination.
It wasn’t until 1880, when France had become definitively republican, that deputy Benjamin Raspail tabled the law declaring 14 July the national holiday. The fall of the Bastille thus has such a strong meaning because it’s equivalent to the birth of the Republic.
In the US, the signing of the Declaration of Independence signaled the start of the American Revolution, while in France, the storming of the Bastille marked the beginning of the Great Revolution. The national holidays of both countries symbolize the beginning of their new forms of government.
Bonne fête !
In France, Bastille Day is celebrated with parades of service members and veterans during the day and fireworks in the evening. However, the French don’t wish one another a “Happy Bastille Day.” They might go so far as to say bonne fête (have a good holiday).
The French Revolution
Here is a simplified summary of the causes of the French Revolution:
- Parliament wished for power to be shared between the king and a parliamentary oligarchy.
- Nobles also hoped to share some power.
- The clergy asked for more money.
- The middle class wanted the right to own land and the right to vote.
- The lower class were generally unhappy, especially due to the extremely high price of bread.
- Farmers were angry about tithes and feudal rights.
- According to some historians, the revolutionaries were opposed to Catholicism more than to the king or the upper classes.
Etymology of Bastille
Alternate spelling of bastide (fortification), from the Provençal word bastida (built). Verb: embastiller (to establish troops in a prison).
Read this in French: Le Quatorze Juillet
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Originally published at www.lawlessfrench.com on July 14, 2015.
