1.6. Economic Problems From 1787

Question 1

What happened to lower class districts or faubourgs?

Answer 1

They had been made part of the old inner city by construction of new city wall as with custom posts and gates

Question 2

Who built the customs gates and when?

Answer 2

The general tax farm between 1785-1787

Question 3

What did the construction of custom gates lead to?

Answer 3

Food price increases in Paris

Question 4

Why was there short term economic distress?

Answer 4

Due to a series of bad harvests in 1788-89 results in high food prices and unemployment

Question 5

What did unemployment rise to?

Answer 5

80,000 out of 620,000 in Paris

Question 6

What trade had a slump?

Answer 6

The textile trade

Question 7

What happened in 1788-89?

Answer 7

Widespread food riots in many urban areas and increased numbers of attacks on food warehouses

Question 8

What was an example of a food warehouse being attacked?

Answer 8

Marseilles in March 1789

Question 9

What happened in Orleans?

Answer 9

There was rioting and violence with urban poor protesting the food shortages and prices

Question 10

When was the riots in Orleans?

Answer 10

April 1789

Question 11

What happened in May 1789?

Answer 11

Attacks on tax offices and other government offices in Limoux

Question 12

When did food prices reach their peak?

Answer 12

July 1789 (coinciding with the storming of Bastille)

Question 13

What percentage of France were serfs?

Answer 13

3%

Question 14

Who were serfs?

Answer 14

Peasants who were tied to land with limited opportunity of progress

Question 15

What percentage of France were landless labourers?

Answer 15

20%

Question 16

Who were landless labourers?

Answer 16

Peasants who worked the land for their landlord in return for wages but could own their own home and garden

Question 17

What percentage of France were sharecroppers?

Answer 17

45%

Question 18

Who were sharecroppers?

Answer 18

Peasants who rented land and/or equipment from their landlord and had to give half their crops to the landlord as payment

Question 19

What percentage of France were independent farmers?

Answer 19

32%

Question 20

Who were independent farmers?

Answer 20

Peasants who owned their own land. They could employ landless labourers to work the fields. However, most owned small plots in areas of poor soil.

Question 21

What percentage of France were peasants?

Answer 21

85% out of 28 million people in France

Question 22

Why was there huge inflation in food prices?

Answer 22

Because of Turgot’s economic policy of ending price controls and bad harvests in 1788

Question 23

Why was there a poor harvest in 1788?

Answer 23

Because of a severe drought which hit north and north western France in the summer of 1788

Question 24

What was winter like in 1788-9?

Answer 24

It was the coldest in decades from November to March

Question 25

How many days of bitter frost did Paris have?

Answer 25

57 days straight

Question 26

What did the winter of 1788-9 mean for France?

Answer 26

Fruit on trees died and spoiled grain stores, worsening the food shortages

Question 27

What happened when the cold snap ended?

Answer 27

The ice in canals and rivers melted, which resulted in widespread flooding

Question 28

How much did the price of grain increase by in Paris?

Answer 28

50%

Question 29

What happened to the textile market?

Answer 29

Large numbers of people were laid off, including landless labourers who also worked in trades

Question 30

Where did the unemployed rural dwellers go?

Answer 30

Went to work in urban areas, worsening overcrowding

Question 31

What did some peasants refuse to do in the winter of 1788-9?

Answer 31

Refused to pay taxes and dues

Question 32

What happened to noble chateaux?

Answer 32

They were attacked in places like Provence and peasants seized back their grain that been paid for rent/dues