The Storming of the Bastille 14th July
Paris was in a state of high agitation in the early
months of the French revolution. In Spring 1789, the Estates-General refused to
dissolve, transforming itself instead into a constituent National Assembly. In
July, King Louis XVI called in fresh troops and dismissed his popular Minister,
Jacques Necker. On the morning of July 14, the people of Paris seized weapons
from the armoury at the Invalides and marched in the direction of an ancient
Royal fortress, the Bastille. After a bloody round of firing, the crowd broke
into the Bastille and released the handful of prisoners held there.
The storming of the Bastille signalled the first
victory of the people of Paris against a symbol of the "Ancien
Régime"
The Fête de la Fédération held on July 14, 1790,
celebrated with great pomp the first Anniversary of the insurrection. Celebration
of the anniversary was revived at the end of the Nineteenth Century after years
of neglect.
Today, the festivities of July 14 are as popular as
ever. In Paris, the traditional military parade on the Champs-Elysées is a
meticulously planned spectacle, and
An interesting silver medal celebrating the 100TH Anniversary but struck in Lima, South America. What was the link between France and Peru? Were there ex pats or immigrants or perhaps it was a political movement
