... showed the people of France that they can attain their desires, and that they can no longer be controlled, and that they can govern themselves without the rule of absolutism. It was the ability of the people to attain their desires that fuelled the Revolution and its world-changing effects. On the eve of the revolution, the Bastille was the symbol of oppression among average working class citizens. Originally, the Bastille was built in the 1370s to form part of the fortification on the eastern side of the city. However, during the 17th and 18th centuries of absolute rule, the Bastille was converted and used to house political prisoners. Citizens of every class may be arrested by secret warrants known as lettres-de-cachet. Those arrested were indefinitely imprisoned in Bastille without accusation or trial, and many who were arrested never came back again. With the fortress rising high above the workers' residences ...

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