What was the basis for the attack on the Bastille?
The main reason to storm the Bastille was because it was storing a large amount of weapons and the people of Paris wanted to get those weapons to be able to make a good fight against the King, Louis XVI and the Versaille castle. But how did they get to that day, Tuesday, July 14th 1789 and the beginning of the French revolution? (p 110)
Since the French people didn’t have telephones or anything like it, they really much had to trust each other and the spoken word to find out about things that happen in Paris and all over the country. And that is also the fastest way to hear about something, to tell people you meet on the streets who then pass it on to other people. For this reason The Palais Royal and its courtyard was the perfect place to spread all kinds of rumors. And I can believe that when people are upset they have the tendency to gather together more easily and share stories and experiences. I think that the physical layout of Paris was the greatest reason for the revolution and the attack on the Bastille, mostly because of the narrow streets in the city and all the market places all over, like The Palais Royal. Because that the square was private owned, people could walk around and talk to each other about anything they wanted without any problem because it was outside of police jurisdiction. So if the people started talking about a riot, or even started to plan one, the police couldn’t do anything about it. I believe it was here that the inhabitants of Paris won their first victory in the French revolution and the attack on the Bastille (p115).
In the narrow streets, where people lived so close to each other you almost always met someone in the stairs up to the apartment or on your way to the well to get water. I know for myself, that the people you live close to become really good friends so when you meet each other you stop for a while and talk about what is going on and so the stories reached out to...