Politics
What was the National Assembly?
- Represented the 3rd Estate
- Took over previous Estate- General
- Was a shift of power from monarch's to the people
Why was the Bastille the target for the attack?
- Symbolic target because it was a state prison and a royal authority ran building
- Lots of gun powder and weapons stored there
Who were key people in the Storming of the Bastille?
The 3rd estate
Why did citizens raid the Bastille?
- Had lots of gunpowder and weapons
- Bastille was a symbol of oppression
- Stock up on weapons for future issues
Why was France is so much national debt?
- Costly wars
- Excessive Royal spending
- Unfair tax collection targeting the poorest estate
What was the slogan for the French Revolution?
Liberté, égalité, fraternité
Liberty, equality, and fraternity (a group of people who share a common interest) sparked because of the Storming of the Bastille
Who were the Nobles?
- People of the 2nd estate
- Had privileges like being exempt from taxes, political influence, and owned land.
- Wealthy
What was the goal of the Storming of the Bastille?
- Counteract Royal Authority
- Dismantle the oppressing government
- Empower citizens to revolt
Identify three problems in the economy leading up to the Storming of the Bastille
- Lots of national debt
- Unemployment and famine due to poor harvests
- Tax system that heavily burdened the 3rd estate
- Widespread poverty
Why did the Storming of the Bastille happen?
- Widespread inflation and hunger
- Political tensions because of the monarch's and the National Assembly
- Heavy taxation on the 3rd estate, they received no benefits from these taxes
Who was Jacques Necker?
-The King's finance minister who was fired days before the Storming of the Bastille.
- He was known for his reformist beliefs that advocated for all people, including the 3rd estate.
- His dismissal was seen as an act of suppression of the people and popular reform. Anger arose from his dismissal.
Why is Bastille Day important and celebrated in France?
- Pivotal event that symbolized the beginning of the French Revolution.
- The beginning of the end of monarch oppression in France.
- Birth of modern France.
Why are small acts of resistance beneficial to an oppressed society?
- Empowerment
- Gaining revolutionaries
- Make the government aware of the oppressed
What is tyranny?
Tyranny- oppressive government or ruler
-Unchecked power
-Oppressed specific groups like the 3rd estate
-Believed in 'divine right of Kings'
Who was Bernard- Rene Jourdan de Launay?
He was a royal French military governor of Bastille. He surrendered the Bastille after hours of conflict but his surrender led to violence. He was brutally murdered by revolutionaries and his head was paraded through Paris streets.
What was a major event that took place because of the Storming of the Bastille? Why?
The French Revolution. Social and political unrest was a major factor of the Storming of the Bastille. The unrest was because people wanted to shift the French government so people had more power.