What Is A Bastille? - Dictionary.com

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It was a symbol of the power of the French monarchy.</p> <p>Essentially, France was on the brink of revolution. A quasi-legislature called the <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/States-General" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-linkid="536e3a">Estates-General</a> met to try to deal with the crisis. They failed, primarily due to the resistance of the nobility who held the most sway. The Third Estate, which represented the middle class, or <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/bourgeoisie" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bourgeoisie</a>, rebelled and formed the National Assembly, which also started its own militia, the National Guard.</p> <p>This was actually the first popular revolt of its kind. Within days, the monarchy was driven out, and the nation was in the throes of the French Revolution. Paris was rioting, and a crowd gathered around the Bastille, demanding the surrender of the guards and a release of all prisoners.</p> <div class="has-video-player video-module"> <h3 class="video-title" id="video-title--HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0" > WATCH: <span class="video-title__inner">Why Are Only Some Wars Called "Revolutions"?</span> </h3> <div class="video-player video-player--player " id="video-player--HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0" data-playlist="true" data-instance-id="HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0" > <div class="video-overlay"></div> <span class="btn-speaker muted"></span> <div class="video-controls"> <div class="video-screen"> <img src="data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAABAAAAAJCAYAAAA7KqwyAAAABmJLR0QA/wD/AP+gvaeTAAAACXBIWXMAAAsTAAALEwEAmpwYAAAAB3RJTUUH4gETByMhHxuwUgAAABl0RVh0Q29tbWVudABDcmVhdGVkIHdpdGggR0lNUFeBDhcAAAAPSURBVCjPY2AYBaOACgAAAkkAAQysdekAAAAASUVORK5CYII=" class="ratio-placeholder" > <video id="video-player-object--HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0" data-video-id="6011363015001" data-account="5660549791001" data-player="HyAYCaubQ" data-embed="default" data-application-id class="video-js" controls playsinline ></video> </div> <div class="video-playlist" data-ajax-url="https://www.dictionary.com/e/crb-ajax/cached.php" data-nonce="1dd60109da" data-video-id="122266" ></div> <div class="coming-up"></div> </div> </div> <div class="video-player video-player--content" id="video-player-content--HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0" data-use-short-description="true" ></div> <div class="video-player" id="video-player-mobile-playlist--HyAYCaubQ-1743590999-0"></div> </div> <p>A bloody standoff ended with the capitulation of the royal forces. The Revolution wasn’t exactly smooth sailing, but the storming of the Bastille is a dramatic symbol for the overthrow of tyranny in the name of the people. And now, the occasion is typically honored with military parades and a lot of <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/browse/libation" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-linkid="536e3a">libations</a>.</p> <p>Fun fact: in France, custom has it that the president issues pardons to mostly minor criminals on Bastille Day.</p> </div> </div> <footer class="article__foot"> <div class="share trigger-share-links"> <ul> <li> <a href="https://facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fbastille-day%2F" class="ico-facebook" target="_blank" data-linkid="begyaa"></a> </li> <li> <a href="https://twitter.com/intent/tweet/?text=What+Is+A+Bastille%3F&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fbastille-day%2F" class="ico-twitter" target="_blank" data-linkid="agbu2i"></a> </li> <li> <a href="https://pinterest.com/pin/create/button/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fbastille-day%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2011%2F08%2F1000x700-pardon-french.jpg&description=What+Is+A+Bastille%3F" class="ico-pinterest" target="_blank" data-linkid="r0ond7"></a> </li> <li> <a href="mailto:?subject=What+Is+A+Bastille%3F&body=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dictionary.com%2Fe%2Fbastille-day%2F" class="ico-email" target="_blank" data-linkid="m52euo"></a> </li> </ul> </div> </footer> </article> <div class="article-paging paging-bottom"> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/watch-learn-word-facts-video-playlist/" class="paging__prev" data-linkid="iwvxtm"> <span class="short"> Previous </span> <span class="full"> Watch And Learn Word Facts </span> </a> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/2016-july-new-words/" class="paging__next" data-linkid="ln7xh0"> <span class="short"> Next </span> <span class="full"> Zika, Athleisure, And Hot Take: New Words Added To The Dictionary </span> </a> </div> <div class="you-might-also-like you-might-also-like--title-default"> <div class="h4">RELATED POSTS</div> <div class="articles__grid articles__grid--three-items articles_grid--with-borders" > <ol class="articles"> <li class="article"> <div class="article__image js-image-fit"> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/easter-island/" data-cts='{"linkId":"uqagl6","infix":"","domain":"dictionary.com","clkpage":"dic","clkmod":"Related","clksite":"dict","clkld":0,"ordinal":1}'> <img loading="lazy" alt="Easter Island" title="" src="https://www.dictionary.com/e/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/easterisland-382x247.jpg" > </a> </div> <header class="article__head"> <div class="article__title"> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/easter-island/" data-cts='{"linkId":"uqagl6","infix":"","domain":"dictionary.com","clkpage":"dic","clkmod":"Related","clksite":"dict","clkld":0,"ordinal":1}'> <span>Why Is Easter Island Named “Easter”?</span> </a> </div> <div class="article__meta"> <p class="article__category"> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/c/education/history/" data-linkid="89gi58">History</a></p> </div> </header> </li> <li class="article"> <div class="article__image js-image-fit"> <a href="https://www.dictionary.com/e/labor-day-in-may/" data-cts='{"linkId":"uqagl6","infix":"","domain":"dictionary.com","clkpage":"dic","clkmod":"Related","clksite":"dict","clkld":0,"ordinal":2}'> <img loading="lazy" alt="worker; 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