French Economies
A short history of the economy of France.
Economics of Roman and Medieval France
The early economy of France relied almost entirely on agriculture. As a Roman province, trade flowed on newly built roads through busy cities like Lyon. While the Celtic Gauls practiced widespread farming, the Romans improved its efficiency. Roman settlers and native peoples mixed and prospered in the centuries after the conquest, becoming one of the most important extensions of the Roman Empire.
The medieval era of France began with the decline and withdrawal of Roman authority. Without the traffic of the empire, the provinces of Gaul grew more isolated. The vast majority of its citizens now worked small plots of land as part of a feudal estate. At the heart of each estate sat a manor, generally surrounded by a market town and farmlands. A wealthy noblemen might own several manors, as well as a castle, and move between them throughout the year.
The peasants who worked his land had little personal freedom and produced most of what they needed to survive. They grew grain crops, vegetables and livestock to feed themselves and made their own tools and clothing. Part of their work went to their lord in the form of taxes and labor. Anything left over might be sold in nearby towns, where skilled craftsmen worked and merchants imported luxury goods for the wealthy.
Despite France’s fertile soils and moderate climate, much of its population struggled with hunger and poverty in the Middle Ages. Times of war were often particularly disastrous for common people. While cities grew larger, they also posed major public safety risks. Famine promoted the spread of disease, such as the Black Death that wiped out half of Paris in 1348. In the wake of such loss, quality of life may have actually improved in France due to labor shortages and land surpluses.
Colonialism and Renaissance France
The 17th century saw mercantilism sweep through Europe, encouraging global trade supported by colonialism. France, like England, the Netherlands, and Spain, seized foreign lands and set their people to work for the benefit of its merchants and monarchy. France came to own significant territories in North America, West Africa, East Asia, and various islands of the Indian Ocean. Wealth poured into its harbors, but most of these profits went to the nobles or the bourgeois urban classes.
Conditions among the peasants remained mostly stagnant, provoking the French Revolution of 1789. For the peasants, the revolution offered a chance to own their own land and make their own economic decisions. It represented the end of feudalism and serfdom. The monarchy had sunk deeply into debt, and it attempted to recover by taxing its citizens, who rioted in the streets for bread. The clergy and nobility, considered separate estates by law, payed little in taxes. When the peasant and merchant classes grew tired of this arrangement, they rose to overthrow the monarchy.
Economy of Modern France
Since that time, France has gone through industrialization and two World Wars to emerge as a major economic power of Europe. The factories and workhouses of other nations were never as popular in France, which maintained a mostly agricultural economy into the 20th century. Its reputation for high culture made a thriving luxury retail industry possible in cities like Paris. Along with products like cheeses and wines, France became known for its massive department stores selling clothing, furniture, toys, perfumes, and other fashionable goods. World War II brought devastation to the country, but it was followed by a period of growth and modernization. France’s economy today, reflecting its history, emphasizes the rights of its workers. Its major industries include agriculture, tourism, manufacturing, energy, and finance.
References
Haine, W. Scott. The History of France. Greenwood Press. 2000.
Hewitt, Nicholas. The Cambridge Companion to Modern French Culture. Cambridge University Press. 2003.
Simons, Gary F., and Charles D. Fennig. “Summary by Language Size.” Ethnologue, SIL International, www.ethnologue.com/statistics/size.
Small, Graeme. Late Medieval France. Palgrave Macmillan. 2009.
“The World Factbook: France.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 4 June 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/fr.html.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
