From 1530 to 1562, France was the most overpopulated country in Europe. By 1530, all arable land were under cultivation without introducing any new agricultural techniques or new crops and in doing so, grain production reached to its most output in 1530. The growth of population increased the pressure on grain production and subsequently rose grain and bread prices. The wheat price doubled from 1510 to 1540, but the other grains and products lagged behind it. Moreover, the cheap price of grains in France in comparison to Spain caused an increase of the export of it to Spain, even though it was several times banned by the French crown but the export continued as the main way to import gold and silver into France, in exchange for bullions.
By the end of the 18th century it became the most important part of a peasant's diet in several countries. It is also the main reason European farmers were able to feed the increase in population that began in the late 1700s. Another huge impact during this time was the growth of capitalism. Capitalism is an economic system based on private ownership and the investment of resources for profit. This made it so governments were no longer the only owners of great wealth. Due to colonization and trade overseas many merchants obtained great wealth. Merchants continued to invest money in more overseas exploration. As a result businesses across Europe flourished. This increase in economic activity led to the increase in many nation’s money supply. This in turn caused inflation. Inflation occurs when people have more money to spend, which increases the demands for goods and services. Once goods become more scarce their prices rise. Many countries during the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries
One of the problems that the farmers faced due to the economy change was agricultural overproduction. In the years following the Civil War, agricultural production levels increased rapidly. The opening up of the Great Plains to the plow, the use of farm machinery, new farming techniques, and the spreading of the railroads all led to the flooding of the American market with agricultural produce. Cotton production doubled during the Gilded Age while the price of cotton fell from about 15 cents a pound to less than 6 cents a pound. Although farmers tried to compensate for the depressed crop values by growing more and more, it
France had unsuccessfully attempted to invade Russia. After the war, France was very poor. This is what caused the bread prices to go through the roof.
The new france, 1792-93, had established the coup d’etat of Thermidor, which is when the maximum price of food was abolished. Where there was still departments that didn’t produce enough wheat, and all means of transportation was used for supplies. Which lead to low food production, however, things still tend to prove that even during that time France was still producing more than in 1789. This lead to the clearing of the land, which hit it’s max during the Revolution. “Never had there been so much clearing of lands” (Kropotkin 23).
In subsequent years, the economic crisis occurred in France due to bad harvest which impacted the economy remarkably. Consequently, the prices of food were become higher. Albert Goodwin found that “the average general prices of consumers’ goods in France were 45 per cent higher in the period 1771-89 and 65 per cent higher between 1785 and 1789 than they had been between 1726 and 1741.” The tradition land system of ancient France métayage
The price of wheat during WWI went up, affecting the high demand for wheat. With that, plowing greatly increased and there was ample rainfall. Times were good for the farmers, they were growing in wealth. During the war, “Wheat will win the war!” was the mantra of the day. The push to produce more and more wheat turned farms into factories and profits were high. People became greedy and pushed for more and more harvest of wheat.
Source 2- Stock raising predominated in the area until World War I, when high grain prices encouraged farmers
farmed dramatically increased.This meant that there was a larger amount of crops going to the
Bread prices due to a shortage of grain including poor harvests from previous years. There were many famines and other disasters in the 1780s. This caused many problems in France. Bread was the main source of food for a majority of the people and the raised prices angered many. It was harder to obtain and many families were close to starvation.
The exchange of crops would prove to be essential for the expansion of European populations. Staple crops in particular would migrate to Europe with returning ships, and crops such as potatoes and corn would become massively important in the diets of European peoples. The staple crops brought to Europe also had the advantage of requiring growing conditions very different from traditional European crops. This had the
As the amount of crops produced increased, the prices paid for them decreased. This is shown by the graphs, “Production and Prices, 1860-1895” In 1860, only 1000 million bushels of corn was produced, and the price per bushel was about $.65. By 1895 over 2500 million bushels
Farmers began to produce large amounts of crops to be sold to Europe in their time of need. In order to do this and keep up with the
The price revolution in Europe was another contributing factor giving Europeans cause for concern. Europe’s population grew after the Black Plague, yet the growth of food remained constant, which led to higher food prices for the large demand. While the price of food increased, the rate of wages did not match the increase. Additional factors was the surplus of bullions
The consequences for the old world were the introduction to a new trade through the Ottoman Empire in new foods and massive amounts of gold and silver. Food exports in east declined were controlled by the Ottoman. The Atlantic states became Europe’s economic and political powerhouse. Europe’s new crops from the new world included corn, beans, tomatoes, and potatoes. From these new crops, the improvement on food supply had Europeans population grow around the 1500’s and did so for the next three hundred
This was agricultural production, there was a lack of it in France as land was often bought as a status rather than an investment. However if the agriculture of france was booming that could have dramatically aided the road to economic recovery.