BLACKlittleTHORN

14 juillet

Wednesday, July 13, 2011 6:27:43 PM

Tomorrow is France national day. In English, this day is called "Bastille Day" because it was the famous Bastille prison was raided by the French people on July 14, 1789. It was the beginning of a very dark period in the country and even more so in Paris where most of the aristocracy and clergy were. Today, you cannot see the Bastille anymore as it was totally demolished, but you can see its outline if you go the appropriately named Place de la Bastille in Paris. However, even for French people, it is difficult to imagine what this place looked like and what the lives of these people were...

After the Bastille storming, several dark periods followed and notably "La Terreur" before Napoleon Bonaparte came into power and declared himself "Emperor"....

Now it's mostly a peaceful place only disrupted when protesters march along it with their placards! But in France you are never very far from a protest or a "revolution".

A handful of fun factsFrench music

Comments

Axel SteffenNewAxel1974 # Wednesday, July 13, 2011 6:50:24 PM

Vive la France!
Vive la révolution!
Vive Robespierre!

Mort et destruction pour le tyran!
Bas les gâteau!
Têtes doit rouler!

BLACKlittleTHORN # Thursday, July 14, 2011 9:05:40 AM

Originally posted by NewAxel1974:

Vive la France!
Vive la révolution!
Vive Robespierre!

Mort et destruction pour le tyran!
Bas les gâteau!
Têtes doit rouler!

Were you there Axel? It's seems that you know the tune...
Et les têtes ont effectivement roulé!

BLACKlittleTHORN # Thursday, July 14, 2011 9:12:15 AM

Originally posted by andrzimin:

The French Revolution was a great period in European history. French society underwent an epic transformation as feudal, aristocratic and religious privileges evaporated under a sustained assault from left-wing political groups and the masses on the streets. France revolution has brought to the people of your country freedom, but…
Executions of Louis XVI of France and Queen Marie Antoinette were first steps to liberty. Fates of French Revolution heroes such as Jean-Paul Marat, Maximilien Robespierre, Camille Desmoulins, Georges Danton, Louis Antoine de Saint-Just, Napoleon Bonaparte and other were not merciful. It’s sad but I think the guillotine became the symbol of this revolution. As I know from 1789 to 1815 in France was lost to 2 million civilians. It’s results of revolutionary terror. And more than that in revolutionary wars was lost to 2 million soldiers and officers. So in revolutionary fights and wars 7,5% of the population of France were lost. This revolution has resulted to great victims. Liberty, equality, fraternity cost very expensively…

Yes I know. Stalline said: "One death is tragic, One million deaths is just statistic" and he too should know about that.

Anyhow, I am very impressed by your knowledge on French revolution! Quite extraordinary! Really. I bow!

I guess you also know that the Guillotine (invented by Docteur Guillotin quoting the effect of his machine: "you feel just a slight cold draft on your neck"...Not just a draft I imagine! Well anyway the Guillotine was still in use in French prison until recently for death row prisoners. But don't worry death penalty has been abolished in France for a few decades now.

I think that the last prisoner to have been guillotined was an alleged child abuser... He however claimed till the end that he was innocent...

Axel SteffenNewAxel1974 # Thursday, July 14, 2011 11:53:53 AM

Such as Lenin said: "The revolution needs the terror."
File:Lenin.gif

BLACKlittleTHORN # Thursday, July 14, 2011 12:57:15 PM

Andrew the last prisoner to be executed in France is Christian Ranucci in 1976. I have not found any translation in English but if you want to have a look at this link retracing the whole history of the case :
http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affaire_Christian_Ranucci

Oh, and it was not for alleged child abuse but alleged child murder not quite the same!