Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of I Heart Radio. Hey
Speaker 1: brain Stuff, Learn Bolga bam Here. Within the English speaking world,
Speaker 1: the French national holiday commemorating the anniversary of the storming
Speaker 1: of the Bastille is commonly referred to as Bastille Day,
Speaker 1: but it's not called that in France. There it's simply
Speaker 1: called by its date, July fourteenth or cators julliet. And
Speaker 1: I should put in here that I never took French,
Speaker 1: but I looked everything up and I am trying many
Speaker 1: apologies if I butcher the language anyway. Because the holiday
Speaker 1: is celebrated during the summer and is marked by fireworks,
Speaker 1: many non French often mistake it for France's version of
Speaker 1: an independence Day. While its history is similarly steeped in revolution,
Speaker 1: this French national holiday is related to the birth of
Speaker 1: the French Republic, and furthermore, it's not the day Louis
Speaker 1: the sixteenth was guillotined, and it's not part of the
Speaker 1: story of Les miserab though it did start with a
Speaker 1: prison break sort of, when a group of Parisians stormed
Speaker 1: the Bastille prison on the east side of Paris on
Speaker 1: July fourteenth, nine. They wanted weapons, and ammunition. Some prisoners
Speaker 1: were freed, but the actions of the protesters had much
Speaker 1: farther reaching consequences. The event took place within an already
Speaker 1: contentious political period during which the third estate uh non
Speaker 1: nobles and non clergy, sought equal representation and expressed anger
Speaker 1: at the burden of taxation. The Best Deal was a
Speaker 1: symbol of the unchecked powers of the French monarchy. While
Speaker 1: the bourgeoisie or middle class, made political moves, Unrest grew
Speaker 1: in the capital among the working class, leading to the
Speaker 1: events of July fourteen and eventually culminating in the toppling
Speaker 1: of the French monarchy and the beheading of Louis sixteenth.
Speaker 1: In its seventeen for the icle, this episode is based
Speaker 1: on How Stuff Works. Spoke with Shanita Miller, interim executive
Speaker 1: director at Alliance Francais Atlanta. She said the storming of
Speaker 1: the Bastille Prison was considered a demonstration against political tyranny.
Speaker 1: This was one of the most defining moments of the
Speaker 1: French Revolution, although not as politically important as other revolutionary
Speaker 1: happenings in France, like the formation of the National Assembly
Speaker 1: and the adoption of the Declaration of the Rights of
Speaker 1: Man and the citizen on August six of the same year.
Speaker 1: The Storming of the Bastille came to symbolize the French Revolution,
Speaker 1: and despite the many changes the French government has gone
Speaker 1: through since then, it's currently on its fifth republic. July
Speaker 1: fourteenth was named as the country's national holiday, but the
Speaker 1: storming of the Bastille in nine is not the only
Speaker 1: thing honored by the French On July fourteenth, they also
Speaker 1: celebrate another event that took place exactly one year later,
Speaker 1: the Fete de la Feracion. At twelve months after the
Speaker 1: storming of the Bastille, France was an estate of relative peace.
Speaker 1: Louis the sixteenth continued to reign, although with fewer powers
Speaker 1: and the aristocracy had lost all privileges, and changes had
Speaker 1: also been made in the way the clergy operated, according
Speaker 1: to the BBC. To mark this optimistic phase of the revolution,
Speaker 1: authorities hosted the Fete de la Federacion on the one
Speaker 1: year anniversary of the Storming of the Bastille, which included
Speaker 1: a festival in Paris. Queen Marie Antoinette even displayed her
Speaker 1: baby son and heir to the throne to the crowd.
Speaker 1: It would take three more years for the monarchy to
Speaker 1: be completely overthrown and totally abolished. It wasn't until seventeen
Speaker 1: ninety three that Louis the sixteenth and Marie Antoinette were
Speaker 1: sent to the guillotine for treason. So a few republics,
Speaker 1: one emperor, and a restoration later. French leaders were interested
Speaker 1: in finding a way to honor the beginning of republicanism
Speaker 1: in France, and they looked back to July fourteenth. Whether
Speaker 1: they were looking to the initial bestial event or the
Speaker 1: fete was never explicitly stated. Nevertheless, in eighteen eighty the
Speaker 1: official national holiday was declared. Miller said, July fourteenth commemorates
Speaker 1: so many important moments in shaping a unified France. But
Speaker 1: it's understandable why the French referred to this day by
Speaker 1: its date instead of bestial Day. In France, calendars are
Speaker 1: printed with Fette nacional on the date of July fourteenth.
Speaker 1: Houstaff Works also spoke with Anna Cumby, a teacher who
Speaker 1: lives in Toulouse, France. She said, the bestial day is
Speaker 1: an English expression, I've never heard it used in French.
Speaker 1: The word bastille now either refers to the neighborhood in
Speaker 1: Paris where the Bastille once stood, or to the historical
Speaker 1: event of the storming of the Bastille. Also, it's different
Speaker 1: from the Fourth of July and that it's not necessarily
Speaker 1: associated with being patriotic in the way Americans tend to be.
Speaker 1: Our celebrations don't usually include flying French flags or wearing
Speaker 1: them on our shirts, or singing the national anthem. Still
Speaker 1: it's a big deal, especially in Paris. Under normal circumstances.
Speaker 1: There are two days of celebration, with concerts, parades, and
Speaker 1: other entertainment culminating in a thirty minute fireworks display set
Speaker 1: off from the Eiffel Tower and the gardens of Rocadero.
Speaker 1: Other French cities hosts similar celebrations, though they will be
Speaker 1: muted this year because of the coronavirus pandemic. But if
Speaker 1: you can't make it to France to take part in
Speaker 1: the annual celebrations, there are plenty of options for Francophiles
Speaker 1: around the world. Miller said, I always suggest looking up
Speaker 1: your closest Aleance Francaise, Institute Francais or contacting local French restaurants.
Speaker 1: These three groups will always find a way to celebrate
Speaker 1: France's national day. Today's episode is based on the article
Speaker 1: a Steel Day, the French holiday celebrating peace and revolution
Speaker 1: on house to works dot com, written by carry wit Me.
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Speaker 1: Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the
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