Bastille Day
I'm about half an hour too late to say that today is Bastille Day, so...
Yesterday was Bastille Day!!!
What is Bastille Day, you may be asking? Well prepare yourself for a history lesson, friends. On 14 July, 1789, the third class of French people stormed the Bastille, a prison in the middle of Paris, putting into motion the French Revolution.
Instead of a genetically-decided monarchy ruling French territories, France would become one of the first countries to experiment with a crazy idea called democracy (still in experimental stages worldwide). The government would be ruled by the people.
Unfortunately, the aristocracy and the clergy would pay for the crimes of the unjust monarchy with their heads, but just on the tails of a crazy little Revolution in the New World, the French Revolution cemented the Western-born idea of democracy. The storming of the Bastille was the precursor to the Republic of France!
Then the monarchy was restored.
Then Napoleon started the first empire.
Then came the 2nd Republic of France!
Then came Napoleon's nephew and the 2nd empire.
Then came the 3rd Republic of France!
Then came Hitler.
Then came the 4th Republic of France!
And then the French president stepped down because he didn't like the Constitution, so they changed it, and voila,
The 5th Republic of France! - and that's what it is today.
My point/history lesson: Though we live in an age of freedom fries, freedom toast, and freedom kisses, France and the U.S. are sisters in democracy, and I for one am grateful for the legacy of freedom that they together have formed for the world.
For that reason, I wish you all a Happy Bastille Day! God Bless America! Vive la France! Vive la liberté!
Yesterday was Bastille Day!!!
What is Bastille Day, you may be asking? Well prepare yourself for a history lesson, friends. On 14 July, 1789, the third class of French people stormed the Bastille, a prison in the middle of Paris, putting into motion the French Revolution.
Instead of a genetically-decided monarchy ruling French territories, France would become one of the first countries to experiment with a crazy idea called democracy (still in experimental stages worldwide). The government would be ruled by the people.
Unfortunately, the aristocracy and the clergy would pay for the crimes of the unjust monarchy with their heads, but just on the tails of a crazy little Revolution in the New World, the French Revolution cemented the Western-born idea of democracy. The storming of the Bastille was the precursor to the Republic of France!
Then the monarchy was restored.
Then Napoleon started the first empire.
Then came the 2nd Republic of France!
Then came Napoleon's nephew and the 2nd empire.
Then came the 3rd Republic of France!
Then came Hitler.
Then came the 4th Republic of France!
And then the French president stepped down because he didn't like the Constitution, so they changed it, and voila,
The 5th Republic of France! - and that's what it is today.
My point/history lesson: Though we live in an age of freedom fries, freedom toast, and freedom kisses, France and the U.S. are sisters in democracy, and I for one am grateful for the legacy of freedom that they together have formed for the world.
For that reason, I wish you all a Happy Bastille Day! God Bless America! Vive la France! Vive la liberté!
posted by Andy at 12:29 AM
1 Comments:
Quelle coincidence! From relevant.com ... "After 16 years, Pink Floyd guitarist Roger Waters has finally completed his first opera. 'Ca Ira' is described as an 'operatic history of the French Revolution.' The opera will be released on CD this fall."
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