July 14 in France
- A little history!
Highly symbolic, July 14 represents the end of an era marked by the absolute reign of the king.
During this time, the political crisis and the economic crisis were accentuated and the people were worried about their future. The uprising of the population is due to many political and economic reasons.
”« The French Revolution is the most powerful step of the human race since the advent of Christ. »,
Victor HUGO (1802-1885)Les Misérables (1862)
- What does July 14 represent?
France was an absolute monarchy before 1789 (date of the French revolution).
On July 14, 1789, the French fought for their freedom. King Louis XVI no longer runs the country alone. He must work with representatives of the people.
To prevent the king from holding all the powers alone again, the French created their own army (the National Guard).
They go to look for weapons at the Bastille prison in Paris. The people have decided to put an end to the absolute monarchy. It is the victory of the people that we celebrate on July 14! On this public holiday, flags are hung everywhere in France and a military parade is organized in several cities.
Contrary to what one might think, France does not only celebrate the storming of the Bastille on July 14. It also celebrates another event which is the “Festival of the Federation of 1790”, in memory of the Storming of the Bastille. This event brought together hundreds of thousands of people at the Champ de Mars in Paris.
In short, July 14 is a party everywhere in France. This is the date that marks the fall of one of the symbols of monarchical repression (the Bastille fortress).
It is the law of July 6, 1880 which made this day a National Day and a public holiday.
