Fête de la Fédération

The Fête de la Fédération (French pronunciation: [fɛt də la fedeʁɑsjɔ̃]; lit. 'Festival of the Federation') was a massive holiday festival held throughout France in 1790 in honour of the French Revolution, celebrating the Revolution itself, as well as national unity.

It commemorated the revolution and events of 1789 which had culminated in a new form of national government, a constitutional monarchy led by a representative Assembly.

The inaugural fête of 1790 was set for 14 July, to coincide with the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, although that is not what was celebrated. At this relatively calm stage of the Revolution, many people considered France's period of political struggle to be over. This thinking was encouraged by the constitutional monarchist Monarchiens. The first fête was designed with a role for King Louis XVI that would respect and maintain his royal status, while emphasizing his new role as the citizen king of the incipient French liberal constitutional monarchy. The occasion passed peacefully and provided a powerful, yet illusory, image of celebrating national unity after the divisive events of 1789–1790.

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