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Reading # 3 French Revolution Storming of the Bastille The

Reading # 3 French Revolution Storming of the Bastille The

Reading # 3 French

Storming of the

The took place in , on , 1789. This violent attack on the government by the people of France signaled the start of the .

What was the Bastille?

The Bastille was a fortress built in the late 1300s to protect Paris during the Hundred Years' War. By the late , the Bastille was mostly used as a state prison by King Louis XVI.

Storming of the Bastille

Who stormed the Bastille?

The who stormed the Bastille were mostly craftsmen, laborers and store owners who lived in Paris. They were members of a French social class called the Third Estate and they believed in the idea of revolution.There were around 1000 men who participated in the attack.

Why did they storm the Bastille?

The Third Estate had recently made demands of the king and had demanded that the commoners and the rest of the Third Estate have more of a say in the government. They were worried that he was preparing the French army for an attack on the common people in Paris. In order to arm themselves, they first took over the Hotel des Invalides in Paris where they were able to get muskets. However, they didn't have gun powder. The Bastille was a symbol to many of the oppression of the king, and the unfairness of the Three Estate system. It also had stores of gunpowder that the revolutionaries needed for their weapons.

Storming the Bastille

On the morning of July 14, the revolutionaries approached the Bastille. They demanded that the military leader of the Bastille, Governor de Launay, surrender the prison and hand over the gunpowder. He refused. As negotiations drug on, the crowd became agitated. In the early afternoon, they managed to get into the courtyard. Once inside the courtyard, they began to try and break into the main fortress. The soldiers in the Bastille became scared and fired into the crowd. The fighting had began. The turning point in the fight came when some of the soldiers joined the side of the crowd. De Launay soon realized that the situation was hopeless, surrendered the fort and the revolutionaries took control.

Were people killed in the battle?

Around 100 of the revolutionaries were killed during the fighting. After surrendering, Governor de Launay and three of his officers were killed by the crowd.

Aftermath

The Storming of the Bastille set off a series of events that led to the overthrow of King Louis XVI and the French Revolution. The success of the revolutionaries gave commoners and the Third Estate throughout France, the courage to rise up and fight against the nobles who had ruled them for so long. The “Storming of the Bastille” is one of the most important events in French History.

1) The Storming of the Bastille is considered the starting point of what major historical event? A American Revolution B World War I C French Revolution

2) What was the original purpose of the Bastille? A Meeting place for government officials B Storage facility for grain C Fortress to protect Paris

3) What was stored in the Bastille that the revolutionaries needed?

A Grain B Gunpowder C Bread

4) What was the Bastille being used for when it was stormed by the revolutionaries? A State prison B Home for government officials C Fortress to protect Paris

5) Which French social class of people stormed the Bastille? A First Estate B Second Estate C Third Estate

6) True or False: No one was killed during the Storming of the Bastille. TRUE

FALSE

7) Who was in charge of the Bastille for the French government? A Marquis de Lafayette B C Governor de Launay

8) What day did the Storming of the Bastille take place? A Fourth of July B Fourteenth of July C Fourth of June

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