|
Ramya B
13 July 2024 |
The storming of Bastille on 14 July 1789 left a legacy of social change, economic upheaval, political revolution, and lasting historical significance. Liberal, socialist, and nationalist philosophies developed during the French Revolution, continue to influence political thought and movements for decades. Thus, the It has an impact on modern democracy, human rights, and social justice.
The Bastille Day
France celebrates Bastille Day (La Fête Nationale) on July 14 to honour the revolutionary ideas of liberty, equality, and fraternity. The Bastille's fall symbolised the end of absolute monarchy and the beginning of democracy in France. Literature, art, and popular culture immortalize the Bastille, such as in Charles Dickens' "A Tale of Two Cities" and Victor Hugo's "Les Misérables". Place de la Bastille, in Paris, marks the ancient fortress with a square with the July Column, commemorating the 1830 Revolution.
The Road to Social Equality
Bastille inspired the Third Estate (peasants, craftsmen, and bourgeoisie) to oppose the social structure and demand more rights and freedoms. It was the beginning of the National Assembly that abolished serfdom and feudal dues; the event helped abolish feudalism. This signified a major shift towards equality. The debate's central idea, "citizen" vs. "subject," served as the foundation for most modern democratic societies, prioritizing individual rights and political engagement. The 'Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens' leaves an undeniable legacy. The National Assembly adopted this fundamental statement, inspired by the Bastille, which proclaimed universal liberty, equality, and brotherhood, influencing democratic movements worldwide.
Bastille’s reverberation across the continent
Symbolised by the storming of the Bastille, the philosophical concepts that emerged from the French Revolution had a global influence. The Revolution raised enduring philosophical questions regarding the limits of political authority, the function of the state, and the balance between liberty and security. These debates continue to influence the state of contemporary political philosophy and discourse.
The uprisings in Haiti (1791–1804), Latin America (1810–1825), and the 1848 European uprisings were inspired by the French Revolution, symbolised by the Bastille storm. The unassailable impact of the revolution is the emergence of the idea of human rights worldwide. The belief that everyone has inalienable rights influences international law and human rights discourse. The events surrounding the Bastille and the subsequent revolutionary declarations further solidified universal human rights. It became a fundamental philosophical principle that certain liberties are inherent to all human beings, irrespective of their nationality or status.
The Era of Enlightenment, Equality Before Law and Separation of Power
The revolutionary concept impacted the Napoleonic Code, which modernised legal systems in many countries and upheld civil freedoms and equality before the law. The Bastille's philosophical legacy is profound, as it embodies and symbolizes several key Enlightenment ideas and principles that have significantly influenced contemporary thought. One of the main ideals of the Enlightenment is the concept of reason and rationality over superstition and tradition. Philosophers Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu criticized the arbitrary power of the monarchy and the church, advocating for a society based on reason and justice. John Locke and Jean-Jacques Rousseau became proponents of natural rights, including the rights to life, liberty, and property. The revolution gave practical expression to Rousseau's philosophical concept of the social contract, which states that governments (legitimate authorities) must derive their authority from the consent of the governed and must uphold the general will of the people.
The Montesquieu concept of power separation and the implementation of checks and balances has had a long-lasting impact on all modern governments around the world. Immanuel Kant and other philosophers emphasized the fundamental concept of individual dignity, arguing that we should view each person as an end in themselves, not just a means to an end. This principle resonated with the revolutionary ethos, influencing the establishment of new legal and social norms during and after the revolution.
The philosophical legacy of the Bastille is therefore intricate and extensive, reflecting the revolutionary spirit and the transformative ideas of the Enlightenment, which aimed to establish a more rational, equitable, and just society.
In the series:
08 July 1497: Vasco Da Gama leaves Portugal, starting an era
05 July 1962: The Algerian War comes to an end
01 July 1968: US, Soviet Union, UK and 40 countries sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty
05 July 1996: Dolly becomes the first mammal to be cloned
01 July 2002: The Rome Statute establishes the International Criminal Court
05 July 1962: Algeria declares its independence, ending 132 years of French occupation
06 June 1944: Allied forces land in Normandy, turning the tide in World War-II
21 May 1991: LTTE human bomb assassinates Rajiv Gandhi
20 May 1948: Vasco da Gama, a Portuguese explorer lands in Calicut in India’s west coast
20 May 2002: East Timor becomes an independent country
30 April 1975: Saigon falls to North Vietnam troops, leading to the reunification of Vietnam
21 April 1526: The First Battle of Panipat leads to the emergence of the Mughal Empire in India
17 April 1895: The Treaty of Shimonoseki ends the first Sino-Japan War (1894-95)
17 April 1975: Khmer Rouge captures Phnom Penh in Cambodia, establishing the Pol Pot regime
16 April 1917: Lenin issues “April Theses”
04 April 1968: Martin Luther King Jr assassinated
18 March 2014: Russia annexes Crimea
14 March 1879: Albert Einstein born in Germany
14 March 1849: The Sikh Army surrenders to the British
12 March 1918: Lenin shifts the capital to Moscow
11 March 1985: Mikhail Gorbachev becomes the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union
About the author
Ramya B is an Associate Professor at the Department of History, Kristu Jayanti College.
NIAS Global Politics Team
Special Issue
NIAS Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
NIAS Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
TWTW Special Edition
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Global Politics Team
Padmashree Anandhan
Aparna A Nair
Sunidhi Sampige
Lekshmi MK
Lekshmi MK
Akriti Sharma
Abhiruchi Chowdhury
Padmashree Anandhan
Padmashree Anandhan
Padmashree Anandhan
Merin Treesa Alex
Preetha Renganarayanan
Tanvi Thara Harendra Jha
Santhiya M
Brighty Ann Sarah
Preetha Renganarayanan
Brighty Ann Sarah
Rohini Reenum
Lekshmi MK
Swati Sood
Sunidhi Sampige & Tanvi Thara Harendra Jha
Lekshmi MK
Emma Rose Boby
Abhimanyu Solanki
Femy Francis
Femy Francis
Femy Francis
Aparna A Nair
NIAS Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP team
Hoimi Mukherjee
Richa Chandola
Aprajita Kashyap
Shreya Pandey
Binod Khanal
Rishika Yadav
Padmashree Anandhan
Anu Maria Joseph
Nuha Aamina
Alka Bala
Sayani Rana
Ashok Alex Luke
Annem Naga Bindhu Madhuri
Femy Francis
Amit Gupta
Kuri Sravan Kumar
Yogeshwari S
Abhishek Ranjan
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
Avishka Ashok
Madhura Mahesh
Padmashree Anandhan
Ankit Singh
Anu Maria Joseph
Abigail Miriam Fernandez
Sethuraman Nadarajan
Avishka Ashok
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
Allen Joe Mathew, Sayani Rana, Joel Jacob
Ankit Singh
Bhoomika Sesharaj
Madhura Mahesh
Harini Madhusudan
Avishka Ashok
Akriti Sharma
Padmashree Anandhan
Poulomi Mondal
Mohaimeen Khan
Padmashree Anandhan
Madhura Mahesh
Padmashree Anandhan
Janardhan G
Avishka Ashok
Anu Maria Joseph
Apoorva Sudhakar
Rashmi BR
Kaviyadharshini A
Avishka Ashok
Chrishari de Alwis Gunasekare
Aparupa Bhattacherjee
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
Vignesh Ram
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
IPRI Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team
GP Team