After King Louis XVI moved to raise taxes to repay the debts France had incurred over the previous years, the country in 1789 experienced a state of tension.

Tensions further escalated due to food shortages in the country and King Louis XVI's acceptance of the resignation of his minister Jacques Necker, who was described as close to the people.

A painting depicting the fall of the Bastille.

Also, deputies of the Third Estate rebelled against Louis XVI's decisions, confirming their intention to limit his power and enact a constitution for the country.

Within this context, a revolt broke out in the French capital Paris on July 14, 1789, during which the French moved toward the infamous Bastille prison to seize it. After a series of skirmishes, the Parisians took control of the Bastille and executed its governor, Bernard René Jourdan de Launay, and hung his head.

An imaginative drawing of the Festival of the Supreme Being.

A celebration to unify the country.

Over the next year, many French regions organized various celebrations to commemorate the events that led to the start of the revolution and the fall of the Bastille.

Hoping to unify the country in a single celebration, deputies of the French Constituent Assembly and the commander of the National Guard, close to King Louis XVI, the Marquis de La Fayette, came up with the idea of establishing a national holiday called the Festival of the Federation, to be commemorated on the day the Bastille fell, i.e., July 14.

A painting depicting Georges Danton.

At the beginning of July 1790, thousands of French workers began the task of converting the Champ-de-Mars square in Paris into a site dedicated to hosting the Festival of the Federation.

As agreed, the site was to be transformed into a venue capable of holding at least 100,000 people.

On the other hand, a large number of Parisians came forward and volunteered to help with construction work, and the same period also saw the arrival of both the Marquis de La Fayette and King Louis XVI to participate in the work at the Champ-de-Mars.

An imaginative drawing of the death of Jean-Paul Marat.

Massacre at the Revolution Anniversary.

During the celebration on July 14, 1790, the Champ-de-Mars witnessed a military parade as well as many artistic performances. In an atmosphere described as good, King Louis XVI, his wife Marie Antoinette, the Marquis de La Fayette, and the deputies of the Constituent Assembly pledged to protect the gains of the French people and the country's constitution.

However, this atmosphere did not last long. In the following months, King Louis XVI, along with his family, was arrested while attempting to secretly cross the border and leave France to ally with the Austrians and Prussians. Consequently, the popularity of both Louis XVI and La Fayette collapsed simultaneously.

A painting depicting Jean-Paul Marat.

On the second anniversary of July 14, a large number of French people gathered at the Champ-de-Mars in an atmosphere charged against Louis XVI. By the 17th of the same month, protesters escalated by attempting to pass a petition demanding the deposition and trial of Louis XVI.

As martial law was enacted in the capital due to the protests, the National Guard troops, in a state of confusion, opened fire on the protesters at the Champ-de-Mars, resulting in dozens of deaths. By the third anniversary of July 14, Paris witnessed some celebrations that were overshadowed by a mood of tension and panic due to the state of war against Austria and its allies.

An imaginative drawing of Jacques-René Hébert.

Execution of the revolution's leaders.

During the fourth anniversary of this French celebration, the country underwent a radical change. At that time, France witnessed the establishment of the Republic and the execution of King Louis XVI, and the French Revolution lost one of its fanatical heroes, Jean-Paul Marat, who was killed one day earlier in his bath by Charlotte Corday, a sympathizer of the Girondin politicians.

By the fifth anniversary, France, during the Reign of Terror, underwent an even greater change contributed by Maximilien Robespierre. In the preceding months, Robespierre, with the support of the Committee of Public Safety, condemned his former comrades and prominent leaders of the revolution and sent them to the guillotine.

And during the fifth anniversary, figures who made the French Revolution, such as Georges Danton, Camille Desmoulins, Jacques-René Hébert, and Jacques Pierre Brissot, were no longer alive. In contrast, Robespierre moved to create a new celebration, held in June, known as the Festival of the Supreme Being.

However, Robespierre's time did not last long. On July 28, 1794, he was in turn executed by the guillotine at the Place de la Révolution in front of a large crowd.

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