Why Celebrate Bastille Day?

 

The Storming of the Bastille marked the start of the French Revolution. It was the beginning of the end for the monarchy. It represented a call for liberty, equality, and fraternity (brotherhood), and a more democratic form of government. Today, the holiday is an opportunity to celebrate French unity and the French way of life. 

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In the 18th century, France was in a deep economic and political crisis and people were unhappy with King Louis XVI's reign, which was dominated with food shortages and high taxes. The Bastille was a medieval fortress and prison, which held many political dissidents, and had become a symbol of oppression and injustice in Paris. On July 14, 1789, an angry mob stormed the Bastille and released the prisoners - of which there were just seven at the time - before stealing the weapons stored inside.

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The Scots (and other nationalities) are known to celebrate Bastille Day as a show of solidarity with those formerly oppressed French Revolutionaries, as well as in modern-day support of the spread of universal liberty, equality, and democracy. 

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- The Scottish Sun