CHY 4U1 – Image Analysis
The French Revolution – Storming the Bastille
Discussing the illustration:
1) On July 11, 1789, Louis XVI dismissed the popular finance minister Jacques Necker. This
angered the people of Paris, who were already upset about food shortages, high prices,
and rumors of plots by nobles to shut down the National Assembly. On July 14, thesefears
led to the scene shown here. It is one of the most famous moments in the French
Revolution. Can you explain what this scene shows.
2) The Bastille fell as leaders in the districts of Paris were setting up a new city government.
This government wanted its own militia. People attacked the Bastille in part to get weapons
for this militia. But the attack was not just the action of a disorganized mob. What in the
illustration shows that the attack involved more than just a street mob?
3) Why was the Bastille so hated by the people of Paris at this point in time? Why has the fall
of the Bastille come to be celebrated as a big holiday in France?