Question

The storming of the Bastille occurred _____. A. before the meeting of the Estates General B. after the Reign of Terror C. after the Directory was established D. after the Third Estate declared themselves to be the National Assembly

Answer 1

D. After the Third Estate declared themselves to be the National Assembly. The government of Louis XVI in France was in such a desperate financial situation that the king had to call folr a meeting of the Estates General if he wanted to raise more revenue. The Estates General gathered at Versailles beginning in May, 1789. The First and Seccond Estates (the clergy and nobility) intended to collude as usual and remain in control of society and government (along with the king), But the Third Estate took control and, in June, 1789, declared themselves the National Assembly. As their revolution proceeded, the Third Estate feared the king would summon the army and the armies of royal relatives from other nations. The Bastille was stormed in July, 1789, not only because it was a symbol of the king's abuse of authority in the past but also because it had become an armory for storing ammunitions, which the revolutionaries wanted to seize if they needed to defend themselves and the Revolution. The Reign of Terror and the Directory come much later in the story of the French Revolution.