The Bastille was a Royal fortress which had come to symbolise the tyranny of the Bourbon monarchy, and the Ancien Regime, against which the Parisian revolutionaries fought. 4/5ths of the French army joined the revolutionaries.

10 years of conflict and terror followed, in which King Louis XVI was overthrown.

Today is celebrated as Bastille Day, a national holiday in France.

From this day on, Baghdad Radio announced, the country of Iraq would be a republic with ties to other Arab nations.

Major-General Abdul Karim el Qasim became Iraq's new prime minister, defence minister and commander-in-chief.

King Faisal was reported killed.

The British embassy was ransacked and set on fire by an angry mob. The ambassador was quickly released unharmed.

There were widely held fears that this Iraq coup would encourage other pro-Western oil powers in the area to pursue an Arab nationalist policy, which was perceived to be against Western interests.