Flour Wars and Famine - Precursor to the French Revolution

While many elements for a revolution were already in place, it would be famine that would set the French Revolution in motion.

Many things that led to the French Revolution. Financial crises, an inefficient tax system, social class tensions - these all contributed to Bastille Day. 

But there was another contributing factor that some believe to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. It made a strained situation for the majority of the French population untenable. And it stemmed from severe storms and drought. It was food shortage. 

A Food Crisis Years in the Making

The wheels for the crop shortage were set in motion a decade before heads rolled. Around 1770, an abrupt freezing pattern returned to the Northern Atlantic. This significantly affected the infrastructure responsible for shipping, transportation, and agriculture. 

The royal police, who served as more than just enforcers of the law, stepped up their control of the food supply. Adequate grain availability to all populations was critical to maintaining social order. To no other group was this more important than the working class. 

A French peasant’s main food source was bread. For a worker in 18th century France, half of their daily wage was spent on it.  The police helped to enforce the French grain market’s high standards.

Before spring arrived in 1775, France had exhausted their cereal reserves. The new crops from the spring harvest had not arrived. Famine set in.

The Flour Wars

In late summer of 1774, the French opted to abolish police regulation of grain. They wanted a free market. With a free trade system and growing shortages, grain owners began hoarding and speculating. 

This accelerated the food shortage and its impacts. The price for grain and bread skyrocketed. Soon the French worker’s daily wage was not sufficient to keep up with food prices. 

Rumors began to spread that the famine was being intentionally orchestrated. Blame was laid at King Louis XVI’s feet. What would become known as the Flour Wars would erupt.

In a 17-day period, France experienced nearly 200 documented conflicts - mostly riots and looting. The government was forced to intervene.

With 25,000 soldiers, the tumult was quieted. Over 160 arrests were made and two rioters were hanged to set an example. 

Though the Flour Wars seemed to be over, for France, it was just the beginning. Poor harvests continued. The social unrest of the Flour Wars would be a precursor.

A Dynamic Climate Continues to Wreak Havoc

In 1783, France experienced the hottest summer on record. That winter would be extremely difficult. Spring would bring rampant floods from the melting snow. 

The fluctuating weather ravaged French agriculture. Crops were ruined and livestock perished. The cycle of hunger and despair accelerated further.

It grew so bad that John Adams, who had been visiting the country wrote couldn’t ignore it. On his trip he wrote, “The country is a heap of ashes…I pity this people from my soul.”

Recall the earlier variables that set the French Revolution in motion. Already navigating financial strife and growing social tensions, the famine exacerbated the problem. 

The climate remained dramatically dynamic. A dry spring in 1788 crippled crops yet again. Severe storms that swept through that July decimated what had survived the spring. 

Families who had once spent half their wage on bread were now paying close to 90% of their wages. Demand for other commodities cratered. Jobs were cut. This drove France’s economy into recession. 

Frustrated, Hungry, and With Nothing to Lose

Political conflict spilled over. After years of psychological stress and fear, the population was left with nothing to lose. Unable to affordably or consistently acquire basics needs, the populous angered more. Soon they were ready to push the envelope against the monarchy and their policies. 

By the time Marie Antionette’s uttered her alleged infamous response when (the “Let them eat cake” line), the general French populace had had enough. 

No, the French Revolution was not solely caused by food shortage and famine. However, it most certainly was the tipping point.

A troubled economy. A destabilized social order. A frustrated and desperate general population. And an unresponsive, broken political system. These were the dominoes in place. Famine set them in motion.

History for the Hurried:

November 25, 1995: By a margin of less than one percent, Ireland voted to legalize divorce, the closest vote in the nation's history.

November 26, 1940: During the Holocaust, the Nazis set up a Jewish Ghetto in Warsaw. 400,000 inhabitants were denied adequate food, sanitation and housing. Europe was about to experience its second major genocide in just over two decades.