On the 14th of July in 1789, a crowd of nearly one thousand protesters stormed the Bastille in Paris, France, a major event in the French Revolution, commemorated annually as "Bastille Day".

In the months running up to the uprising, the people of France were facing a dire economic crisis, food shortage, and increased militarization of Paris on orders of King Louis XVI. The Bastille was an armory and prison, perceived by many as a symbol of royal authority in the city.

On the morning of July 14th, a crowd of approximately one thousand people surrounded the Bastille, calling for the surrender of the prison, the removal of its cannon, and the release of the arms and gunpowder stored there.

After negotiations stalled, the crowd surged into the courtyard of the Bastille and were fired upon by troops in the garrison. In the carnage that followed, ninety-eight protesters and one defender of the Bastille were killed.

Governor Marquis de Launay, fearing his troops could not hold out, capitulated to the crowd and opened up the Bastille doors. He was captured and dragged towards the Hôtel de Ville in a storm of abuse. While the crowd debated his fate, the badly beaten Launay shouted "Enough! Let me die!", kicked a pastry cook in the groin, and was then promptly stabbed to death.

As news of the successful seizure of the Bastille spread throughout the country, revolutionaries established parallel structures of power for government and militias for civic protection, burned deeds of property, and in some cases attacked wealthy landlords.

King Louis XVI first learned of the storming the next morning through the Duke of La Rochefoucauld. "Is it a revolt?" asked the King. The duke replied: "No sire, it's not a revolt; it's a revolution."

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  • ashinadash [she/her]
    ·
    4 months ago

    Prices at the grocery store continue to rise by fifty cents to several dollars now and then. Nothing gets cheaper, ever. They're charging $10 or more for store-brand 450g frozen pizzas now, damn.

    doomer

    We keep incorporating fresh ingredients, stirfry and curry and stuff, treats have long (since Covid) been unaffordable but lots of other stuff is going up. Fucking oats are rising in price, maaaan.

    • SpiderFarmer [he/him]
      ·
      4 months ago

      Yeah, there was that sweet spot where local organic places were slow to the draw, so you could get real food cheaper than Kraft. But that period has since passed. Canned beans are even climbing.

      • ashinadash [she/her]
        ·
        4 months ago

        desolate canned beans are already unaffordable around here, $2.75 for a 330ml can of baked beans...

    • peeonyou [he/him]
      ·
      edit-2
      4 months ago

      $8 loaf of whole wheat bread at safeway... fucking $8

      • ashinadash [she/her]
        ·
        4 months ago

        Up here it's still like $4 a loaf in Canadian Rupees, thankfully.

        Though one of the really catastrophic things that's started happening is, apparently the bread costs too much, because not only on Thursdays but also Saturdays, my local grocers' "clearance eat tonight" etc bin absolutely overflows with unsold bread. Everything from goofy brioche to basic white bread, they cannot sell at these prices. Amazing!