History of War Summary 3 - French Revolution 2 Storming of the Bastille and the Collapse of Feudalism

In June 1789, representatives of the Third Estate declared themselves the National Assembly, representing the French people. When Louis XVI attempted to block this, the representatives gathered in an indoor tennis court and swore not to disband until a constitution was established. This is known as the Tennis Court Oath. Rumors spread in Paris that the king would mobilize the army to suppress the National Assembly, increasing the citizens' anxiety. On July 14, Parisian citizens attacked the Bastille prison to secure weapons. Although the Bastille was not actually holding many political prisoners, its fall became a symbolic event of the revolution because it represented the despotism of royal authority. The revolution subsequently spread to the provinces, and in rural areas, peasants attacked nobles and resisted feudal rights. In August, the National Assembly decided to abolish feudal privileges and subsequently issued the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen. Principles such as liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty were presented, significantly shaking the existing class order of French society.