শহুরে জনতা
The resignation of Necker and the fall of the Bastille had a profound impact, not just on Paris, but across France. These events triggered widespread revolutionary actions, and the urban population in various cities took part in looting government stores and armories. In cities like Dijon, local authorities were arrested, and in Rennes, soldiers were forced to leave their garrisons. The fall of royal authority in these urban areas led to the removal of royal officials like the intendants, whose powers were diminished as the revolution spread.
However, the nature of this municipal revolution was not uniform across the country. In some cities, such as Paris, the commune maintained control, while in others, like Bordeaux and Flanders, new local governments modeled after Paris were established. These new municipal systems were more radical, and in many cases, they promised to lower the prices of essential goods, which were a major concern for the urban poor.
In some places, the local population, including workers, artisans, and shopkeepers, directly took control of the streets and key buildings, removing those loyal to the monarchy and creating a sense of local autonomy. The revolution, which began as a political and economic upheaval, was now firmly a social movement, driven by the urban poor.
This urban revolt showed the power of the masses in challenging the existing social and political order. The storming of the Bastille, although focused on the symbolic act of attacking the royal prison, was part of a larger pattern of the urban population dismantling royal authority and replacing it with their own revolutionary ideals. These actions spread like wildfire to other cities and even to rural areas, marking the beginning of the French Revolution as a nationwide movement.
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