• The Revolution exploded after many decades of ideological ferment, political decline, and social unrest.
• However, bread shortage played a greater role into the success of the revolution. It created anger towards the monarchy, which at the time was headed by France’s King Louis XVI.
Image: file
Bread is one of the oldest forms of food that is consumed today.
Even though a lot has changed in terms of preparation and varying tastes, it remains one food that is found all over the world.
Anything that touches on bread in terms of increasing the cost is akin to tampering with the lives of many people across the world. This has in some instances led to revolutions.
For instance, the French Revolution of 1789 which started in Versailles, which was a result of many issues. The Revolution exploded after many decades of ideological ferment, political decline, and social unrest.
However, the bread shortage played a greater role in the success of the revolution. It created anger towards the monarchy, which at the time was headed by France’s King Louis XVI.
This was after it was supposed that Marie Antoinette, the King’s bride remarked “Let them eat cake” after she heard that their constituents had no bread. It, however, disputed that she said such words.
This anger led to a wave of protests which came to be known as the ‘Flour War’. The rioters invaded Versailles before spreading into Paris and outward into the countryside.
Historians say bread likely accounted for between 60-80 per cent of the budget of a family in the ancien regime and any small rise in price would be a problem.
Most revolutions from the US to Egypt to Iran among others have always begun with the cost of food (bread) rising.
In Kenya, the current wave of protests by the Anti-Finance Bill 2024 was partly fuelled by the imposition of 16 per cent Value Added Tax on bread.
This is one of the many taxes that had been proposed by the National Government and was set to be tabled in parliament before Kenyans, especially the youth (Gen Z) decided to mobilise for demonstrations against the Bill.
Despite the 16 per cent tax on bread being dropped, as well as VAT on transportation of sugar and financial services and foreign exchange transactions, the protests have not stopped.
The government also dropped increasing mobile money transfer costs, 2.5 per cent motor vehicle tax, and exercise duty on vegetable oil as well as eco levy on locally manufactured products.
News that the government had made concessions and dropped some of the contentious clauses in the Bill did little to dampen their spirits as some termed the move a smoke screen.
They said the removal of the proposed 16 per cent VAT on things like bread while increasing taxes on other equally basic imported commodities was typical of a government that wants to give with one hand and take with the other.
Days before Tuesday’s protests, youths made a rallying call on social media using the hashtag #OccupyParliament urging Kenyans to turn up in numbers for the protests.
The protests spread to Mombasa on Wednesday and Thursday as Nairobi, the capital city held its second wave, other cities and towns across the country also staged anti-Finance Bill protests.
They include Kisumu, Eldoret, Nakuru, Nanyuki, Nyeri, Kericho and Kisii, among other parts of the country.
In May, National Assembly Finance Committee chairman and Molo MP Kuria Kimani explained that the proposal to introduce VAT on bread was because the National Treasury cited the high occurrence of diabetes among bread consumers.
"We had a long conversation with the National Treasury on this VAT on the floor. The initial thinking was maybe there is a concern about diabetes and all that," Kimani said.