Photo source: ncfsocialprotestmusic.wordpress.com

Today we say salute to the French people and we wish them a Happy 14th of July!

As most of you might now, today is the National Day in France. A day when French people all over the world celebrate the day they gained their freedom and Bastille was destroyed piece by piece. And I mean literally piece by piece. Keep on reading to discover what I mean by that.

7 Facts About the French Revolution

1. The French Revolution appears depicted in „A Tale of Two Cities” written by Dickens. Although here, the revolution appears to be led by the poor, in reality, they played a small role in the development of the rebellion. Most leaders of the 1789 battle were part of the intellectual and professional area (doctors, lawyers, journalists, writers, etc.). They claimed they acted on behalf of the poor class.

Photo source: buzzfed.com
Photo source: buzzfed.com

2. Let them eat cake – the famous saying remains in history as being uttered by Marie Antoinette when she heard that her subjects didn’t have bread. Obviously, this was a form of mockery to her subjects since cake was more expensive to produce than bread. But according to many historians, Marie Antoinette wasn’t that preoccupied with her subjects to even think about them.

3. The French Revolution turned the guillotine into a famous symbol that became a fearful execution method for more than 16,000 people. Ironically, the name that gave the name to this torture device (Joseph-Ignace Guillotin) didn’t invent it himself. He was pleading for the capital punishment to be abolished but since this wasn’t happening anytime soon, he suggested that this could be made more „bearable” by using the guillotine. Chop-chop!

4. During the Revolution, the National Assembly decided that all the exotic animals that were owned in private had to be donated to the menagerie at Versailles. If not, they were supposed to be killed and stuffed, donating them to the Jardins des Plantes. Fortunately, the animals were not killed and this is how the first zoo was created.

Photo source: buzzfeed.com
Photo source: buzzfeed.com

5. Brick by brick fell the Parisian fortress. This was one of the moments that remained powerful ingrained into the French conscience because the French people didn’t have explosives at the time. So men, women, and children tore down the fortress brick by brick. Each brick was sold or given away as a symbol of freedom.

6. The royal family planned on escaping France, but they didn’t get very far. Why? Because the king’s face was on all coins. But they deserve a prize for trying.

7. 10,000 African slaves were freed after the revolution.

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