Salut de France! Weeks 6 & 7 have slipped by, along with both of our Independence Days, July 4 & July 14. This means that our summer here is at the half way point already. Oh well. C'est la vie. We still have 2 nice trips planned, & the joy of everyday life here for our remaining 6 weeks.

For us, July 4 is an ordinary French day. This year, our French friend Benedicte came for lunch. It was so nice to see her again, & to hear about her family's activities over the past year. She also brought me a beautiful new vine, that I have put in a large pot at the corner of the house in an effort to, hopefully, embellish, then cover, an ugly downspout.

July 14, just past, is of course, what Americans call "Bastille Day", the commemoration of a day when a motley crowd, inspired by "Liberty", assaulted a prison in Paris, in order to free political prisoners put there capriciously by the "authorities" who had tried to silence them. According to Michel Crespy, a French journalist, this "story" is a myth told to French children to assure them that France's history is "irreprochable". The "real story" is that the crowd, thirsty for blood, wanted to rob the Bastille of its weaponry. The mobsters inadvertently freed a grand total of 12 people, none of whom were important, very dangerous or well known. In fact, the Marquis de Sade (who had been a very well known inmate of the Bastille) had been already re-assigned (he had connections!) to a more comfortable prison months before the uprising took place. Noblesse oblige, so they say. More of that to come in a few paragraphs!

And why was this motley crowd so angry, & who exactly was the target of their anger? Not so much the monarchy, according to M. Crespy, but the speculators who had accumulated great fortunes due to the huge price of bread caused by a bad harvest & a complicated turn of events. Never underestimate a Frenchman's lust for....BREAD!

History is complicated, for sure, but since it's been years since I've studied, (or taught!) the French Revolution, I decided to do a little research to refresh the causes, other than expensive bread, for this world changing event.

First of all, I hadn't made the BIG connection between the AMERICAN Revolution & the FRENCH Revolution. France's support of the American Revolution put considerable strain on the finances of Louis XVI, a weak & unpopular king. The Parliament, called The Estates General, had not met since they'd been dismissed during the time of Louis XIV, the hugely powerful Sun King.

Here's the breakdown of France's populatioin in 1789 on the eve of the Bastille uprising:

The Estates General included the First Estate (the Clergy), the Second Estate (The Nobility) & the Third Estate (the rest of the population). The Clergy (.06% of the total population) owned 10% of the land, & rented it to the peasants, but paid no taxes. The Nobility (2% of the population) owned 20% of the land but paid only small taxes (that's the Noblesse Oblige part!). The Third Estate (the rest!) was represented by mostly middle class lawyers, but had little power. Each estate voted in a block, meaning that the Clergy & the Nobility could always defeat the Third estate. (Talk about taxation without representation!)

The ideas of the Enlightenment in Europe had led to some radical new ideas about governing, & the rising Bourgeoisie (middle class) embraced them, strenthened by the victory of OUR Revolution of 1776. The crisis became so intense that Louis XVI, to raise necessary taxes, was forced to recall The Estates General. This time the Third Estate convinced Louis XVI to give each individual in each of the Estates a vote. And that made a HUGE difference. It even cost him his head!

So it wasn't just the want of bread that created the upheaval known as the French Revolution, although hunger had a lot to do with it. When people get hungry, they get very angry. It is sometimes, & may have been in this case, the final straw, & can spark a Revolution.

But what comes next? To quote the musical Hamilton: "winning is easy, governing is harder". It was true in France's history, our history, & more currently, in the Arab Spring of 2012. Revolutions, even well-intended, create huge social upheaval. The French Revolution evolved into the Reign of Terror, a nasty mess eventually finished by Napoleon's arrival on the scene, & his political rise to power.

Two big symbols of the Revolution are France's motto ("Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite"), & the French flag, which represents the Three Estates-- the white band for the Clergy (1st Estate), the blue for the Second Estate (the Nobility) & the blue for the Third Estate, lead by the "Bourgeoisie".

Today, France is under its Fifth Republic, with a young & energetic president, who has been compared to two of my favorite historical leaders--Napoleon & Augustus. He is trying to move the French forward with his leadership in the European Union, & hopes to restore France to a portion of its former glory in the world. Will he be an emporer, like Napoleon or Augustus? They both had organizational & political skills that were quite powerful, & they succeeded in creating stability & long lasting reforms in their chaotic worlds. It worked-- for a while, at least. But nothing lasts forever.

I am hoping that Macron AND my new vine will both flourish. Governing isn't easy, nor is covering an ugly downspout! To check out the new vine (& the ugly downspout), & pictures relating to various July 14th celebrations, check out our new album titled "Vive la France: Bastille Day Then & Now".

We hope you celebrated the Fourth of July with a big BANG & that your summer rolls along with good times, & of course, that all your vines are flourishing & not flooded, like some of our American friends have experienced lately. The Fox River really recalls Louis XIV's prophetic words: "Apres moi, le deluge." (After me, the deluge).

Hugs & sunny skies to all,

Elise & Les

PS: We go to Corsica on Thursday...I will say hello to Napoleon's birhplace.