International Social Science Journal (Chinese Edition)

No.2, 2023

 

The French Revolution and the Socio-economic Problems of Agriculture

(Abstract)

 

Bernard Bodinier

 

In 1789, 85% of the French population lived off the land, directly or indirectly. Land ownership was a sensitive issue, and all the more so since it served as a basis for a number of rights, especially seigniorial rights. Once landownership had been made free on the night of August 4, the sale of Church and Crown properties (biens nationaux of first origin) and later of properties bélonging to Emigres (biens nationaux of second origin) could satisfy the hunger for land on the part of the peasantry. Still, was this really a conscious goal on the part of revolutionary assemblies more preoccupied with budgetary issues than with agrarian reform? With 10% of the land offered at auction, the consequences on the landowning structure were far-reaching. Who benefited from these sales: the bourgeoisie, or the peasantry? Was the sale of the national estates a State-sanctioned boondoggle, guaranteeing their windfall to speculators? To what extent did it generate pro-revolutionary loyalties among the buyers? What was the impact of these land auctions on the standard market?