To what extent did French society benefit from Napoleonic rule in the years 1800-1808? - ECONOMIC

Question 1

How did French society benefit from Napoleonic rule economically?

Answer 1

• Reforms to French currency helped stabilise the market and benefited the French people
• One of Napoleon’s first acts was refusing to honour agreements paid for in worthless paper money and declare the only legal tender would be metal coinage
• Bank of France est. January 1800, its main purpose to produce and control national currency of gold and silver coins
• Monetary control and responsible behaviour increased considerably and consequently boosted the French economy by controlling sales of government bonds

Question 2

How did French society NOT benefit from Napoleonic rule economically?

Answer 2

• Indirect taxation was brought back and was a policy that somewhat caused the revolution and so we know did not benefit the masses
• Indirect taxes on alcohol, salt (gabelle 1806) and tobacco quadrupled hitting working classes hard
• Targeted consumers and most people who needed these basic commodities rather than property owners who had the money to pay taxes with

Question 3

Overall analysis?

Answer 3

French society benefitted as a whole due to general improvements to the economy despite this being at the cost of indirect tax

Question 4

Describe how war affected the economy

Answer 4

• Focus on war limited expansion of other areas of the economy
• Little effort made to build roads unless it was for military benefit
• Large numbers of men conscripted, although there was surprisingly little resistance to conscription up to 1808, reduced number of workers and agricultural labourers therefore limited economic growth

Question 5

Describe the Continental system/blockade and why it failed

Answer 5

• Continental Blockade 1806-07: also reduced markets and on the whole was detrimental to France
• Banned all trade w Britain and insisted France’s allies and neutral countries should follow or be treated as French enemies
• Colonial and wine trades hit particularly hard due to British counter-action depriving France of raw materials; French producers affected; products normally supplied by British (especially sugar and coffee even coats and shoes) in short supply
• System failed: partly because French Navy and Napoleon’s hold on coastlines of Europe weren’t strong enough to enforce it and smuggling of contraband thrived