Fall of the Bastille – iTopper IAS Academy

Although the king recognized the National Assembly, they decided to suppress it. A large number of soldiers were brought to Versailles and Paris.
On hearing this, the mob of Paris became violent. Also, a severe winter led to a bad harvest and the price of bread rose. Crowds of angry women stormed into the shops.
In July, 1789, the agitated crowd stormed and destroyed the Bastille, a fortress prison symbol of despotic powers of the king.
Also, they murdered the guards and freed the prisoners. The fall of the Bastille was regarded in France as a triumph of liberty.
In the countryside, rumours spread from village to village. They looted hoarded grain and burnt down documents containing records of manorial dues.
A large number of nobles fled from their homes, many of them migrating to neighboring countries.
The nobles voluntarily surrendered their feudal rights and the privileges on 4 August 1789.
Feudalism and serfdom were abolished. The principle of equality was established. Class distinctions were abolished.