 "History Today: When the French Revolution started with the Storming of the Bastille")
The French Revolution is an important part of the world history. And the revolution began with Storming of the Bastille by thousands of Parisians on July 14, 1789. The event marked the end of absolute monarchy and the rise of the people’s power in France.
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On this day in 1958, Iraq’s monarchy was overthrown in a military coup led by General Abd al-Karim Qasim and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif.
Here is all that happened on this day.
Storming of the Bastille
A huge crowd of Parisians and mutinous troops stormed the Bastille, a medieval fortress. The Bastille had become a symbol of the oppressive and arbitrary rule of King Louis XVI’s regime.
Amid growing unrest over rising bread prices, heavy taxation, and political inequality, Paris was on edge. Rumours spread that the king was planning to crush the National Assembly, formed by the Third Estate to represent the common people. Citizens, fearing a royal crackdown, began to arm themselves.
On the morning of July 14, a large crowd of Parisians marched to the Bastille, which was believed to hold ammunition and political prisoners. Though the fortress only held seven inmates at the time, its fall was deeply symbolic. After hours of tense negotiation and fighting, the crowd overwhelmed the defenders and seized control of the fortress.
The event sent shockwaves across France and Europe. It demonstrated that the monarchy was vulnerable and that ordinary citizens could influence the future of the nation. In the days that followed, King Louis XVI was forced to recognise the authority of the National Assembly, and the revolution gained unstoppable momentum.
The Storming of the Bastille is now celebrated every year in France as Bastille Day, a national holiday and a symbol of liberty, democracy, and the fight against oppression.
1958 Coup in Iraq
On this day in 1958, a similar situation arose in another part of the world. Iraq experienced a seismic shift in its political landscape with a military coup d’état that violently overthrew the Hashemite monarchy. The military was led by General Abd al-Karim Qasim and Colonel Abdul Salam Arif. This event marked the beginning of a republican era in the country.
The coup was triggered by growing public dissatisfaction with King Faisal II’s pro-Western policies, rising nationalism, and the influence of the Baghdad Pact, which aligned Iraq with the UK and other Western powers. Many Iraqis, particularly within the military, resented these foreign ties and desired a government that prioritised Arab unity and independence.
On the morning of July 14, troops loyal to Qasim and Arif seized key installations in Baghdad. The royal family, including King Faisal II and Prime Minister Nuri al-Said, were executed. The monarchy was abolished, and the Republic of Iraq was declared, with Qasim becoming Prime Minister and Minister of Defence.
The revolution shocked the Arab world and signalled a significant geopolitical shift. Iraq withdrew from the Baghdad Pact and began aligning more closely with neutral and Soviet-leaning nations. It also inspired other Arab nationalist movements, particularly in Egypt and Syria.
The revolution was met with mixed reactions. Many Iraqis, who viewed the monarchy as a relic of foreign control, welcomed the change. However, it also ushered in a period of intense political instability, marked by subsequent coups, assassinations, and ideological struggles between various factions, including pan-Arab nationalists, communists, and later, the Ba’ath Party. The 1958 coup fundamentally reshaped Iraq’s destiny, pulling it away from its Western alignment and setting the stage for decades of turbulent republican rule.
This Day, That Year
The world’s last telegram was sent as India’s state-run telecommunications company ended its telegraph service on this day in 2013.
In 1881, American gunfighter Billy the Kid was shot and killed by Sheriff Pat Garrett.
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