Given below are two statements. Read them carefully and choose the correct answer.
Statement (I): The Bastille was hated by all because it stood for the despotic power of the King.
Statement (II): During the French Revolution, the Bastille fortress was preserved so that the history of social inequality would remain in the memory of the people.

Correct option is B

Correct Answer: (B) Statement (I) is true but Statement (II) is false.
Explanation:
→ Statement (I) is true: The Bastille, a fortress and prison in Paris, became a symbol of the despotic and absolute power of the King. It represented the monarchy’s arbitrary authority and was deeply hated by the people, especially the oppressed commoners. The storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789, marked a key moment in the French Revolution, symbolizing the revolt against royal tyranny.
→ Statement (II) is false: The Bastille was not preserved during the Revolution to serve as a reminder of social inequality. Instead, it was destroyed by revolutionaries after its capture. They dismantled it as a symbol of breaking away from the old regime and its oppression. The destruction of the Bastille became a symbol of the end of despotism and the fight for liberty, rather than a historical monument to inequality.
Information Booster:
→ The storming of the Bastille is celebrated annually in France as Bastille Day, which symbolizes the French people’s rejection of the monarchy and their demand for liberty and equality.
→ The Bastille housed political prisoners, many of whom were imprisoned without trial, making it a symbol of the arbitrary power of the king.
→ The destruction of the Bastille also marked the beginning of the collapse of the Old Regime and the rise of revolutionary ideals in France.
→ The fall of the Bastille inspired other acts of rebellion across France, sparking widespread unrest and the demand for political and social reforms.
→ The French Revolution fundamentally changed the political landscape of France, abolishing feudal privileges and establishing a republic based on the principles of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
→ The dismantling of the Bastille was not only a physical act of rebellion but also an ideological move to break from the past and create a new order.