French Revolution- The economy Pre-revolution

How much of production was agricultural?

75% (70% of land use)

What was France's chief export?

Wine

France's population in the 1780s?

Around 28 million

When did the Laki volcano erupt and what was its effects?

1783, ash clogging sunlight, low temperatures= poor harvests in 1783-1784

The significance and events of the 1788 harvest?

Worst harvest in 40 years, caused by droughts followed by extreme hail

How much did bread prices increase from 1788-1789

50%

When was the Revellion riots and its events?

1789, rumours over a textile factory owner cutting wages resulted in a march on his house- shows socio-economic discontent

How many died in the Revellion Riots?

25 people

How much of state income came from indirect tax?

55%

How much of state expenditure was committed to debt?

43%

What was the budget deficit in 1786

112 million livres

How much of wages did bread costs take up?

88% (height of)

How much did textile production fall?

50%

How many different units of measures were there in France before 1789?

25,000

How many pay d'etats were there?

6 (they negotiated their tax)

What % of tax income was indirect and why was this unfair?

46%, indirect taxation disproportionally hit the poor

What the punishment for evading payment of gabelle? (why it was hated)

Imprisonment and eventually execution

How much debt did LXVI inherit?

2billion livres of debt

What was French debt in 1789?

4billion livres of debt

In August 1788, give three examples of provincial areas which experienced bread riots?

Grenoble, Dijon, Rennes

Why was enough tax not being collected?

Tax exemptions of the 1st and 2nd estate, tax collection was uneven across the nation, tax farmers took a section of tax revenue

How did the tax collectors operate?

They paid a certain amount to the crown in advance, collected taxes and then took whatever surplus was there

Roughly what fraction of French farmland was owned by small land subsistence farmers?

1/4

By 1789, French GDP was ____x that of Britain

3x that of Britain-- still relatively strong economy

Which internal factors made the French economy less dynamic?

Guild restrictions, internal trade barriers, uneven weights and measurements, different trade regulations

State debt in 1789:

12 billion livres-- in part due to AWI

How was the AWI financed?

Necker financed it through borrowing-- leaves France with debts with interest