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

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Flashcards in To what extent did French society benefit from Napoleonic rule in the years 1800-1808? - ECONOMIC Deck (5)
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1
Q

How did French society benefit from Napoleonic rule economically?

A
  • 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
2
Q

How did French society NOT benefit from Napoleonic rule economically?

A
  • 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
3
Q

Overall analysis?

A

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

4
Q

Describe how war affected the economy

A
  • 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
5
Q

Describe the Continental system/blockade and why it failed

A
  • 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