diff --git a/Modules/_ctypes/cfield.c b/Modules/_ctypes/cfield.c
index 06835cc78f8..782336dd313 100644
--- a/Modules/_ctypes/cfield.c
+++ b/Modules/_ctypes/cfield.c
@@ -711,14 +711,6 @@ vBOOL_get(void *ptr, Py_ssize_t size)
 }
 #endif
 
-#ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
-#define BOOL_TYPE _Bool
-#else
-#define BOOL_TYPE char
-#undef SIZEOF__BOOL
-#define SIZEOF__BOOL 1
-#endif
-
 static PyObject *
 bool_set(void *ptr, PyObject *value, Py_ssize_t size)
 {
@@ -726,10 +718,10 @@ bool_set(void *ptr, PyObject *value, Py_ssize_t size)
     case -1:
         return NULL;
     case 0:
-        *(BOOL_TYPE *)ptr = 0;
+        *(_Bool *)ptr = 0;
         _RET(value);
     default:
-        *(BOOL_TYPE *)ptr = 1;
+        *(_Bool *)ptr = 1;
         _RET(value);
     }
 }
@@ -737,7 +729,7 @@ bool_set(void *ptr, PyObject *value, Py_ssize_t size)
 static PyObject *
 bool_get(void *ptr, Py_ssize_t size)
 {
-    return PyBool_FromLong((long)*(BOOL_TYPE *)ptr);
+    return PyBool_FromLong((long)*(_Bool *)ptr);
 }
 
 static PyObject *
diff --git a/Modules/_struct.c b/Modules/_struct.c
index a601f03ce75..082096186e3 100644
--- a/Modules/_struct.c
+++ b/Modules/_struct.c
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ typedef struct { char c; float x; } st_float;
 typedef struct { char c; double x; } st_double;
 typedef struct { char c; void *x; } st_void_p;
 typedef struct { char c; size_t x; } st_size_t;
+typedef struct { char c; _Bool x; } st_bool;
 
 #define SHORT_ALIGN (sizeof(st_short) - sizeof(short))
 #define INT_ALIGN (sizeof(st_int) - sizeof(int))
@@ -68,21 +69,13 @@ typedef struct { char c; size_t x; } st_size_t;
 #define DOUBLE_ALIGN (sizeof(st_double) - sizeof(double))
 #define VOID_P_ALIGN (sizeof(st_void_p) - sizeof(void *))
 #define SIZE_T_ALIGN (sizeof(st_size_t) - sizeof(size_t))
+#define BOOL_ALIGN (sizeof(st_bool) - sizeof(_Bool))
 
 /* We can't support q and Q in native mode unless the compiler does;
    in std mode, they're 8 bytes on all platforms. */
 typedef struct { char c; long long x; } s_long_long;
 #define LONG_LONG_ALIGN (sizeof(s_long_long) - sizeof(long long))
 
-#ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
-#define BOOL_TYPE _Bool
-typedef struct { char c; _Bool x; } s_bool;
-#define BOOL_ALIGN (sizeof(s_bool) - sizeof(BOOL_TYPE))
-#else
-#define BOOL_TYPE char
-#define BOOL_ALIGN 0
-#endif
-
 #ifdef __powerc
 #pragma options align=reset
 #endif
@@ -480,7 +473,7 @@ nu_ulonglong(const char *p, const formatdef *f)
 static PyObject *
 nu_bool(const char *p, const formatdef *f)
 {
-    BOOL_TYPE x;
+    _Bool x;
     memcpy((char *)&x, p, sizeof x);
     return PyBool_FromLong(x != 0);
 }
@@ -695,7 +688,7 @@ static int
 np_bool(char *p, PyObject *v, const formatdef *f)
 {
     int y;
-    BOOL_TYPE x;
+    _Bool x;
     y = PyObject_IsTrue(v);
     if (y < 0)
         return -1;
@@ -774,7 +767,7 @@ static const formatdef native_table[] = {
     {'N',       sizeof(size_t), SIZE_T_ALIGN,   nu_size_t,      np_size_t},
     {'q',       sizeof(long long), LONG_LONG_ALIGN, nu_longlong, np_longlong},
     {'Q',       sizeof(long long), LONG_LONG_ALIGN, nu_ulonglong,np_ulonglong},
-    {'?',       sizeof(BOOL_TYPE),      BOOL_ALIGN,     nu_bool,        np_bool},
+    {'?',       sizeof(_Bool),      BOOL_ALIGN,     nu_bool,        np_bool},
     {'e',       sizeof(short),  SHORT_ALIGN,    nu_halffloat,   np_halffloat},
     {'f',       sizeof(float),  FLOAT_ALIGN,    nu_float,       np_float},
     {'d',       sizeof(double), DOUBLE_ALIGN,   nu_double,      np_double},
diff --git a/Objects/memoryobject.c b/Objects/memoryobject.c
index 07402d2e868..e53c85493ba 100644
--- a/Objects/memoryobject.c
+++ b/Objects/memoryobject.c
@@ -1115,11 +1115,7 @@ get_native_fmtchar(char *result, const char *fmt)
     case 'n': case 'N': size = sizeof(Py_ssize_t); break;
     case 'f': size = sizeof(float); break;
     case 'd': size = sizeof(double); break;
-    #ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
     case '?': size = sizeof(_Bool); break;
-    #else
-    case '?': size = sizeof(char); break;
-    #endif
     case 'P': size = sizeof(void *); break;
     }
 
@@ -1162,11 +1158,7 @@ get_native_fmtstr(const char *fmt)
     case 'N': RETURN("N");
     case 'f': RETURN("f");
     case 'd': RETURN("d");
-    #ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
     case '?': RETURN("?");
-    #else
-    case '?': RETURN("?");
-    #endif
     case 'P': RETURN("P");
     }
 
@@ -1673,11 +1665,7 @@ unpack_single(const char *ptr, const char *fmt)
     case 'l': UNPACK_SINGLE(ld, ptr, long); goto convert_ld;
 
     /* boolean */
-    #ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
     case '?': UNPACK_SINGLE(ld, ptr, _Bool); goto convert_bool;
-    #else
-    case '?': UNPACK_SINGLE(ld, ptr, char); goto convert_bool;
-    #endif
 
     /* unsigned integers */
     case 'H': UNPACK_SINGLE(lu, ptr, unsigned short); goto convert_lu;
@@ -1843,11 +1831,7 @@ pack_single(char *ptr, PyObject *item, const char *fmt)
         ld = PyObject_IsTrue(item);
         if (ld < 0)
             return -1; /* preserve original error */
-    #ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
         PACK_SINGLE(ptr, ld, _Bool);
-    #else
-        PACK_SINGLE(ptr, ld, char);
-    #endif
          break;
 
     /* bytes object */
@@ -2634,11 +2618,7 @@ unpack_cmp(const char *p, const char *q, char fmt,
     case 'l': CMP_SINGLE(p, q, long); return equal;
 
     /* boolean */
-    #ifdef HAVE_C99_BOOL
     case '?': CMP_SINGLE(p, q, _Bool); return equal;
-    #else
-    case '?': CMP_SINGLE(p, q, char); return equal;
-    #endif
 
     /* unsigned integers */
     case 'H': CMP_SINGLE(p, q, unsigned short); return equal;
diff --git a/configure b/configure
index 706b58d6853..6f2d9b28e39 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -777,6 +777,7 @@ infodir
 docdir
 oldincludedir
 includedir
+runstatedir
 localstatedir
 sharedstatedir
 sysconfdir
@@ -888,6 +889,7 @@ datadir='${datarootdir}'
 sysconfdir='${prefix}/etc'
 sharedstatedir='${prefix}/com'
 localstatedir='${prefix}/var'
+runstatedir='${localstatedir}/run'
 includedir='${prefix}/include'
 oldincludedir='/usr/include'
 docdir='${datarootdir}/doc/${PACKAGE_TARNAME}'
@@ -1140,6 +1142,15 @@ do
   | -silent | --silent | --silen | --sile | --sil)
     silent=yes ;;
 
+  -runstatedir | --runstatedir | --runstatedi | --runstated \
+  | --runstate | --runstat | --runsta | --runst | --runs \
+  | --run | --ru | --r)
+    ac_prev=runstatedir ;;
+  -runstatedir=* | --runstatedir=* | --runstatedi=* | --runstated=* \
+  | --runstate=* | --runstat=* | --runsta=* | --runst=* | --runs=* \
+  | --run=* | --ru=* | --r=*)
+    runstatedir=$ac_optarg ;;
+
   -sbindir | --sbindir | --sbindi | --sbind | --sbin | --sbi | --sb)
     ac_prev=sbindir ;;
   -sbindir=* | --sbindir=* | --sbindi=* | --sbind=* | --sbin=* \
@@ -1277,7 +1288,7 @@ fi
 for ac_var in	exec_prefix prefix bindir sbindir libexecdir datarootdir \
 		datadir sysconfdir sharedstatedir localstatedir includedir \
 		oldincludedir docdir infodir htmldir dvidir pdfdir psdir \
-		libdir localedir mandir
+		libdir localedir mandir runstatedir
 do
   eval ac_val=\$$ac_var
   # Remove trailing slashes.
@@ -1430,6 +1441,7 @@ Fine tuning of the installation directories:
   --sysconfdir=DIR        read-only single-machine data [PREFIX/etc]
   --sharedstatedir=DIR    modifiable architecture-independent data [PREFIX/com]
   --localstatedir=DIR     modifiable single-machine data [PREFIX/var]
+  --runstatedir=DIR       modifiable per-process data [LOCALSTATEDIR/run]
   --libdir=DIR            object code libraries [EPREFIX/lib]
   --includedir=DIR        C header files [PREFIX/include]
   --oldincludedir=DIR     C header files for non-gcc [/usr/include]
@@ -8482,33 +8494,6 @@ _ACEOF
 
 fi
 
-
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: checking for _Bool support" >&5
-$as_echo_n "checking for _Bool support... " >&6; }
-have_c99_bool=no
-cat confdefs.h - <<_ACEOF >conftest.$ac_ext
-/* end confdefs.h.  */
-
-int
-main ()
-{
-_Bool x; x = (_Bool)0;
-  ;
-  return 0;
-}
-_ACEOF
-if ac_fn_c_try_compile "$LINENO"; then :
-
-
-$as_echo "#define HAVE_C99_BOOL 1" >>confdefs.h
-
-  have_c99_bool=yes
-
-fi
-rm -f core conftest.err conftest.$ac_objext conftest.$ac_ext
-{ $as_echo "$as_me:${as_lineno-$LINENO}: result: $have_c99_bool" >&5
-$as_echo "$have_c99_bool" >&6; }
-if test "$have_c99_bool" = yes ; then
 # The cast to long int works around a bug in the HP C Compiler
 # version HP92453-01 B.11.11.23709.GP, which incorrectly rejects
 # declarations like `int a3[[(sizeof (unsigned char)) >= 0]];'.
@@ -8542,7 +8527,6 @@ cat >>confdefs.h <<_ACEOF
 _ACEOF
 
 
-fi
 
 # The cast to long int works around a bug in the HP C Compiler
 # version HP92453-01 B.11.11.23709.GP, which incorrectly rejects
diff --git a/configure.ac b/configure.ac
index b511a79ba48..d89ebef608c 100644
--- a/configure.ac
+++ b/configure.ac
@@ -2128,17 +2128,7 @@ if test "$have_long_double" = yes ; then
 AC_CHECK_SIZEOF(long double, 16)
 fi
 
-
-AC_MSG_CHECKING(for _Bool support)
-have_c99_bool=no
-AC_COMPILE_IFELSE([AC_LANG_PROGRAM([[]], [[_Bool x; x = (_Bool)0;]])],[
-  AC_DEFINE(HAVE_C99_BOOL, 1, [Define this if you have the type _Bool.])
-  have_c99_bool=yes
-],[])
-AC_MSG_RESULT($have_c99_bool)
-if test "$have_c99_bool" = yes ; then
 AC_CHECK_SIZEOF(_Bool, 1)
-fi
 
 AC_CHECK_SIZEOF(off_t, [], [
 #ifdef HAVE_SYS_TYPES_H
diff --git a/pyconfig.h.in b/pyconfig.h.in
index ed6b80df656..2774bf4452c 100644
--- a/pyconfig.h.in
+++ b/pyconfig.h.in
@@ -107,9 +107,6 @@
 /* Has builtin atomics */
 #undef HAVE_BUILTIN_ATOMIC
 
-/* Define this if you have the type _Bool. */
-#undef HAVE_C99_BOOL
-
 /* Define to 1 if you have the 'chflags' function. */
 #undef HAVE_CHFLAGS