Two revolutions, two republics and the enduring power of national myths and civic festivities come to the fore in July as France and the US both celebrate national holidays.
Articles on Bastille Day
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Decades before the United States, France outlawed slavery during the French Revolution – only to see it reimposed by Napoleon within a decade.
Trump’s $45 million parade in Washington, DC, underscores his love-hate relationship with New York, the city where ticker-tape parades have traditionally honored America’s victories and heroes.
A series of laws voted up in late 1793 enabled the expedited judgement of thousands of people suspected of counterrevolutionary beliefs.
The French celebrate Quatorze Juillet, not Bastille Day. In fact, the English-language name hides much of the surprisingly complex history of the day.
The French president’s orchestration of the Bastille Day military parade featuring a Daft Punk tune was a deft move that left Trump outmaneuvered, and positioned France as a force to contend with.
France and the US have always had their differences, but they’ve also proved strong and steady allies.
The film Bastille Day – featuring a CIA agent trying to avert a terror attack in Paris – has been withdrawn from French cinemas after the tragedy in Nice. But what are we to make of Hollywood’s fondness for these kinds of stories?
Terror on July 14 is a clear rejection of the values of the French Republic.
Top contributors
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PhD candidate in Early Modern History, Monash University
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Associate Professor, School of History, ANU / Chercheur Associé at the Centre d’Histoire de Sciences Po, Australian National University
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professeur de science politique, Université Clermont Auvergne (UCA)
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Honorary Professor, DVCE Portfolio, Deakin University
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Professor of French Studies, School of Modern Languages, University of Bristol
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Lecturer, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University
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Professor Emeritus of History, University of Kentucky
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Spécialiste de la politique américaine, Sciences Po
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Lecturer in Art Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh