"The Consequences of Radical Reform: The French Revolution" Topic

Of possible interest?

Free to read
PDF link

Amicalement
Armand

Certainly of interest!! One to pore over and digest, nice find!

Interesting paper-well done Armand and an excellent find.

From the abstract:

'The French Revolution of 1789 had a momentous impact on neighboring countries. The French Revolutionary
armies during the 1790s and later under Napoleon invaded and controlled large parts of Europe. Together
with invasion came various radical institutional changes. French invasion removed the legal and economic
barriers that had protected the nobility, clergy, guilds, and urban oligarchies and established the principle
of equality before the law. The evidence suggests that areas that were occupied by the French and
that underwent radical institutional reform experienced more rapid urbanization and economic growth,
especially after 1850. There is no evidence of a negative effect of French invasion. Our interpretation
is that the Revolution destroyed (the institutional underpinnings of) the power of oligarchies and elites
opposed to economic change; combined with the arrival of new economic and industrial opportunities
in the second half of the 19th century, this helped pave the way for future economic growth. The evidence
does not provide any support for several other views, most notably, that evolved institutions are inherently
superior to those 'designed'; that institutions must be 'appropriate' and cannot be 'transplanted'; and
that the civil code and other French institutions have adverse economic effects.'

"There is no evidence of a negative effect of French invasion."

Only if you ignore the dead and wounded…

How shortsighted of the Portuguese and Spanish to fight against the French invaders, instead of being grateful that they would experience "more rapid urbanisation and economic growth, especially after 1850"!

What a strangely written piece. It's the worst sort of research really, the author(s) have decided upon a standpoint, i.e. that technological and social change were necessary and beneficial and basically moulded the evidence to support it.

Taking the UK industrial revolution I could quite easily come to the opposite conclusion, that technological and social change were of no benefit to the common man (other genders are available) and that in real terms development was to the detriment of health and social opportunity until the early 20th century.

Glad that some of you like it!

Amicalement
Armand