Short Term Causes - Economic Crisis

Question 1

What was the economy largely based on?

Answer 1

Agriculture

Question 2

Between which years had the agricultural sector grown steadily?

Answer 2

1730s and 1770s

Question 3

Why had good harvests meant there been an increased in population?

Answer 3

Food surpluses, people were fed and healthy and more able to withstand diseases

Question 4

What came suddenly to an end during the 1780s?

Answer 4

The general agricultural prosperity

Question 5

What brought about the sudden end to the general agricultural prosperity?

Answer 5

A series of disastrous harvests between 1778 and 1787

Question 6

Why was there a major disaster in 1788 that resulted in a very poor harvest?

Answer 6

Very wet spring

Freak hailstones in many areas in July

Question 7

What did peasants produce as a cash crop?

Answer 7

Wine

Question 8

What did a poor harvest in a pre-industrialised society always lead to?

Answer 8

Massive unemployment

Question 9

What did the resulting rise in the price of food lead to?

Answer 9

A lower demand for manufactured goods

A significant increase in the price of bread - a key staple food

Question 10

Why was there a lower demand for manufactured goods?

Answer 10

More income had to be spent on food

Question 11

Over the period from 1726 to 1789, what % did wheat prices increase by?

Answer 11

60%

Question 12

% of a labourer’s daily wage spent on bread in normal times compared to the severe winter of 1788-79

Answer 12

50%

88%

Question 13

% that production and employment in textile industries fell by in 1789?

Answer 13

50%

Question 14

What accounted for half of industrial production?

Answer 14

Textile industries

Question 15

What treaty had the textile industry been badly hit by?

Answer 15

Eden Treaty of 1786

Question 16

What did the Eden Treaty allow?

Answer 16

Imports of British goods, including textiles, at reduced rates of import duties

Question 17

Why was the market for wine also very poor?

Answer 17

Rising bread prices meant that there was less money to spend on this and other goods

Question 18

What two things were rising at the same time?

Answer 18

Unemployment

Cost of living

Question 19

Why were workers unable to increase their wages?

Answer 19

Unemployment was rising at the same time as cost of living

Production was either stagnant or falling

Question 20

Who did many ordinary people blame for worsening the situation?

Answer 20

Tithe-owners

Landowners

Question 21

What were tithe-owners and landowners accused of that contributed to the lack of food?

Answer 21

Hoarding grain and speculating on prices rising during times of shortage

Question 22

What happened in many areas as people attacked grain stores?

Answer 22

Food riots and disturbances

Question 23

Why were food riots and disturbances most frequent in the spring and summer of 1789?

Answer 23

Grain prices were at their peak as it was before the new harvest had been collected

Question 24

Many ordinary people in urban and rural areas blamed the economic crisis partly on who?

Answer 24

The nobility

Question 25

What did increasing disturbances against the nobility encourage many ordinary people to do?

Answer 25

Take the first tentative steps towards direct political action

Question 26

Politicisation

Answer 26

A process in which people who were previously unconcerned with politics take an active interest in political issues which affect their daily lives

Question 27

What began as a result of the economic crisis?

Answer 27

Politicisation of the Third Estate

Question 28

What did Louis’ handling of the political crisis further exacerbate?

Answer 28

The situation in the eyes of ordinary people

Question 29

What helped the deep-rooted long-term problems of the Ancien Régime come to a head in the years immediately preceding 1789?

Answer 29

Short-term causes such as poor harvests and rising bread prices

Question 30

What were the attempts at reform an acknowledgement towards?

Answer 30

A need for change

Question 31

What did the failure of the reform process show?

Answer 31

The depth of the divisions within French society

Question 32

What paved the way for the summoning of the Estates-General?

Answer 32

The French monarchy declaring itself bankrupt and the Assembly of Notables refusing to approve the reforms proposed by the King’s ministers