The Development of the French Economy 1750–1914

This 1995 book provides a summary of French economic development between 1750 and 1914, and the complex debates surrounding this subject.

Colin Heywood (Author)

9780521557771, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 14 September 1995

88 pages
21.6 x 14 x 0.5 cm, 0.12 kg

Understanding French economic development in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries has always proved a formidable challenge for historians. This concise 1995 survey for students is designed to make clear the areas of controversy among historians, and to guide the reader through the complexities of the debate. The author provides succinct surveys of findings on the pattern of development, and on the underlying causes of that pattern. He addresses questions such as: was France a latecomer or an early starter in industrialisation? Did long periods of protectionism help or hinder development? And was the peasantry an obstacle to change in the economy? He argues that France was not the 'backward economy' it was often thought to be; instead, it provides a quietly successful case of economic development, avoiding the massive social upheaval experienced elsewhere in Europe.

List of tables and maps
Note of references
Acknowledgements
1. Introduction: the outlines of a debate
2. The performance of the French economy
3. Natural resources and the labour supply
4. Capital and technical progress
5. An agricultural revolution?
6. 'The call of the markets': the pressure of demand in the French economy
7. Social and institutional influences on development
8. Conclusion
Notes
Select bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Economic history [KCZ]