barricade

thumb|Police barricades in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2020) Barricade () is any object or structure that creates a barrier or obstacle to control, block passage or force the flow of traffic in the desired direction. Adopted as a military term, a barricade denotes any improvised field fortification, such as on city streets during urban warfare. These may also include crowd control devices—like temporary traffic barricades, pedestrian barricades, and anti-vehicle barriers—all of which have also been used in the course of urban protests, counterinsurgency operations, and military operations on urban terrain.

==Origins== thumb|The Duc dde Guise During the '1st Day of the Barricades.' Paul Leugeur. 19th Century The origins of the barricade are often erroneously traced to the "First Day of the Barricades," a confrontation that occurred in Paris on 12 May 1588 in which supporters of the Duke of Guise and the ultra-Catholic Holy League successfully challenged the authority of King Henri III during the French Wars of Religion. Then, barrels were fundamental to the Holy League's defenses. They were filled with stone and earth to create effective fortifications, while chains were stretched across intersections to block passage. The League planned how to place these materials to obstruct Parisian streets as efficiently as possible. This severely hindered the movement of royal troops, who were unable to bypass the barricade structures placed throughout the city....Parisians from every social level rushed to support the League in what they feared might be another royal massacre. At this, everyone took up arms to safeguard the streets and neighbourhoods and made barricades by stretching chains across the street corners.Although barricades gained widespread public awareness as a result of the 1588 1st Day of the Barricades (and because they were also used during the Fronde), they were neither exclusively French nor exclusively modern in origin. In ancient history, barricades were used as defensive fortifications, primarily in cities defending against foreign invaders. During the Persian sack of Athens from 480 to 479 BCE, the last remaining Greek soldiers defended the Acropolis of Athens against Persian invaders using barricade-like structures in a final stand against the approaching army. Similarly, during the Theban siege of Plataea from 429 to 427 BCE, the Plataeans placed "wagons in the streets as barricades" after they realized the Thebans had infiltrated the city.