The French celebrate Independence Day The military is parading down the Champs-Élysées in front of the president, MPs, and other invited g...
The French celebrate Independence Day
The military is parading down the Champs-Élysées in front of the president, MPs, and other invited guests as part of France's Independence Day celebrations, which also include music and fireworks.
The July 14th celebration, which was made a national holiday in 1880, honours two significant historical occurrences in France.
On May 5, 1789, King Louis XVI called a general assembly in order to raise additional funds in addition to the taxes he had already collected. This marked the official start of the French Revolution.
While the monarch resided in the chateau of Versailles outside of Paris, the meeting instead devolved into a discussion about the allocation of political influence and the subpar living conditions of the French people at the time.
On July 14 of that year, irate Parisians who were starving from a lack of food stormed the Bastille prison, which had come to represent an assault on the king's ultimate power after he had imprisoned many of his rivals.
In their first action against the country's previous French imperial government since the 16th century, the demonstrators liberated numerous prisoners and took control of significant military storage sites.
At the time, the Declaration of Human and Civil Rights advocated for the creation of further legislation to combat tyranny and promote equality. King Louis XVI and his wife Marie Antoinette fled Versailles for Paris after the law was confirmed in October and they were put under pressure by the populace.
On July 14, 1790, 300,000 people gathered in a specially constructed theatre outside of Paris to commemorate the storming of the Bastille and the success of the French Revolution. This marked the first national holiday in France.
The French monarchy came to an end in 1793 with the deaths of King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
In 2017, American soldiers took part in a parade to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution, or the time since the country allied with its allies in World War I.
The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 made this celebration impossible. However, in order to recognise their dedication to the fight against the disease, French healthcare professionals have been asked to take part in the festivities in 2021.
Following Russia's main invasion in February 2022, soldiers from nine Eastern European nations opened a march as a show of support and unity for Ukraine.