alternatehistory.com

It was on this day, 225 years ago, that the first major revolt against the monarchy in France, took place in Paris, with the storming of the Bastille Prison. The revolt ultimately failed to amount to much, but the bloodshed that occurred(as many as 200 deaths), managed to horrify Louis XVI enough that he ultimately was convinced to allow some critical last minute reforms of the French legal system. He also eventually brought Jacques Necker back into the fold as Finance Minister, amongst other things. All of this helped bring relative peace to France for about 50 years or so, before the Versailles riots of 1840, and the final dissolution of the Monarchy in 1848.....leading to the fairly prosperous and egalitarian French Republic of today.

But, what if the Battle of the Bastille had succeeded? What would be it's effects on the world? What about the United States, for instance? Could our foreign policy have taken a more pro-French stance, especially under T. Jefferson? And might Britain have indeed been more antagonistic towards a Republican France than a Bourbon/Orleanist France?

And what about Spain? Could a successful Republican insurrection in France have convinced the Spaniards not to be so cavalier with Mexico(New Spain, then), even if mainly out of fear of losing their colonial Empire so early? And could the revolutionaries in Canada have been inspired by an earlier French Revolution, also? And would France itself have still taken a similar course that it did IOTL?

OOC: A scenario I whipped up on the fly, to commemorate Bastille Day. Hope you all find this interesting. :cool:

Edit: Fixed the title.
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