How successful were Napoleon's financial and economic measures Flashcards
1
Q
taxation - key features
A
- 1800 central treasury was reorganised (turgot and Necker tried but failed)
- Main direct tax was the land tax
- 1807 a complete land tax register was introduced (attempted by the NCA but in 1813 most of the land had still not been accounted for)
- Indirect taxes had been introduced on consumer goods
- Customs duties increased (protectionist tariffs against free trade)
- 1806 taxes on salt tobacco and alcohol quadrupled
- Aggressive pursuit of war profiteers
- Relentless collection of arrears
2
Q
taxation - successes
A
- Collection of direct taxation improved as it was more efficient and fair
- Indirect taxes helped increase treasurer fiances
- Budget blanched by 1802 (without writing of debts)
- Council for life which is approved by plebiscite is helped by the balancing of the budget
3
Q
taxation - unsuccessful
A
- Nothing revolutionary
- Policies helped by :
- Economic uplift in early 1800 - good harvest
- Abundance of foreign grain so bread price lowered
- Sold last part of france’s colony to maricia , louisiana in 1803 ($150m)
- War - 1801 war military victory brought war pounder
- 1802 peace reduced cost
- Continuationof war put an end to the financial stability
- 1806 taxes rose again as military expenditure outstripped income
- 1810 france was once more in serve deb, inflation, high unemployment and the banks went bankrupt
4
Q
bank of France - key features
A
- Established in january 1800 brought under state control 1806
- Responsible for money supply (paper money restricted to paris and limited to high value)
- Took responsibility for administering public borrowing and government bonds
- Introduced a sinking fund to manage national debt (contained money to pay off debt of bonds and protest the bourgeois)
5
Q
bank Of France- successful
A
- lead to the creation of their banks
- Standardised currency, controlled money supply which made it more appealing to foreign investors
- Avoided bankruptcy until 1810
- Houndured debts and government bonds
- Paid officials salaries
- Gave investors confidence in state bonds (until 1807) and large scale inflation avoided
6
Q
bank of France - unsuccessful
A
- 1811 bad harvest sent bread prices spearing
- 1813 france had 149 million franc deficit, similar to the ancien regime
- 1810 - 1811 food riots spread across France
7
Q
currency reforms - key features
A
- 1803 napoleon introduced a new currency, fran de germilas based upon gold and silver coins
- Strict control of the metal content ensures that this was a stable currency and there was enough in circulation
8
Q
currency reforms - successful
A
- used until 1928
9
Q
industry - key features
A
- Napoleon invested vast amounts in infrastructure, paris became the cosmopolitan capital of the world
- Subsided manufacture
- Protected french industry by tariffs
- 1807 commercial code
- 1808 ministry of commerce
- Chaptal crested bodies to spread commercial and industrial knowledge
- Bureau of statistics to gather basic data from each of the departments on population and the conditions of agriculture, commerce and industry
10
Q
industry - successful
A
- Enlightened principles of uniformity and rational thinking
- Industrial production increased eg industry of north eastern France, ship building and road making, textile works of Paris and of the Lyon regions, driven by war
- Massive growth of cotton industry in Paris
- But this was from a low base due to the nature of industry under the ancien regime with limited agriculture and investment
- Did not have money to invest in infrastructure
11
Q
industry - unsuccessful
A
- Not priority
- By the end of the period was akin to ancien regime
- French economy experienced limited growth during this period
- Money for investment beyond paris was limited, communication poor, backwards and population growth limited
- Any growth was linked to the war
- This came at the expense of peacetime, industry and investment (consumer goods)
- Production of industry encouraged by NB
12
Q
trade - key features
A
- The continental system attempted to exclude all British trade from Europe in order to weaken Britain . expand the European market for fresh goods and increase the cohesion of the Napoleonic empire
- Berlin and Milan decrees of 1806 and 1807 prohibited British goods from entering French territories controlled by allies to France
- These decrease demanded that concurred and allied Europe bought fresh goods according to napoleon ‘it is i who created french industry’
13
Q
trade - successful
A
- Offers some protection to home industries alsace and Belgium flourish in textiles
- Opened trade with Rhineland, and built a major port to trade with eastern Europe
-Trade with Germany Italy and eastern Europe - Consumer industry in Paris does not disappear as there is no competition
14
Q
trade - unsuccessful
A
- Contributed to high unemployment and bankruptcy in 1810-11
- By the end it was akin to the ancien regime
- Long term driver for napoleon decline
- By 1813 the continental system lead to war
- French troops could not enforce the ban
- ⅔ of french troops were destroyed in 1805 and ship building saw decline in 1806
- Smuggling was rife, even NB trade with britain for their military boots
- After 1809 due to economic decline traders were allowed to buy licence to trade with Britain
- Britain retaliate with a total blockage of the french and its allies
- France underestimated reliance upon exports leading to wine trading to the west disappearing
- France relied on britain for certain products
- Disappearance of colonial maoreds removed any chance to create new technology
- On the whole very detrimental to the French market
15
Q
agriculture key features
A
- Government program for growing sugar beets and chicory
16
Q
agriculture - successful
A
- Filled the gap left by the colonially produced sugar and coffee no longer available under the rigour of the continental blockade
17
Q
agriculture - unsuccessful
A
- Land clearing and drainage made little headway
- Yields did not increase
- Labour methods remained primitive
- Landowners did not reinvest their rent into the land
- No new techniques were developed
