Final answer:
The storming of the Bastille was predominantly a reaction to King Louis XVI's deployment of troops around Paris, which ignited fears and led to the symbolic attack on the prison fortress by Parisians. This act was a crucial moment in the revolution that signified the people's power over royal authority.
Step-by-step explanation:
The storming of the Bastille was a pivotal event in the French Revolution and is commonly associated with the rise of the popular movement against royal authority. The catalyst for the storming on July 14, 1789, was the king's use of troops against the National Assembly and the general populace, which sparked fear and defiant actions among the people of Paris. An agitated and revolutionary-minded Parisian mob acted decisively by attacking the Bastille, a fortress prison that symbolized the king's absolute power and held a cache of gunpowder. In the preceding months, tensions had been escalating due to the economic crisis, food shortages, and the Estates General's decree that each estate should have one vote. The Third Estate, representing the common people, transformed itself into the National Assembly, vowing not to disband until a constitution was in place. Louis XVI responded to these challenges to his authority by deploying troops around Paris, an act that ultimately triggered the insurrection that lead to the Bastille's capture. The fall of the Bastille served as a signal to the people of France that royal authority could be defied, amplifying the revolutionary fervor sweeping the nation. It was neither preempted by Robespierre's call to arms nor related directly to the demands of guilds or clerical and noble interests regarding taxes and tariffs. Rather, it was rooted in a fundamental confrontation between the evolving principle of national sovereignty and the traditional autocratic rule of the monarchy.