Question

What did the Bastille symbolize in France? What did the fall of the Bastille mean for the people?

Answer 1

The Bastille was a prison in Paris. In 1789 it was seen as a symbol of all that was wrong with the Old Regime, so on June 14, 1789 a mob broke into it. There were only about a dozen inmates, but it was symbolic. The prison was soon torn down, and the French Revolution followed. The site is now a plaza (Place de la Bastille) at a street intersection, and a new opera house has been built on the corner. It is called Opera Bastille. June 14 became the national holiday of France.