Revolutionary Upheaval and Its Aftermath

The French Revolution of 1789 marked a watershed in rural history, though its effects were more complex than simple liberation. The abolition of feudalism on the night of August 4, 1789, sent shockwaves through the countryside. Suddenly, obligations that had structured rural life for centuries - tithes to the church, dues to the seigneur, restrictions on hunting and gathering - vanished into history.

The sale of church lands and émigré estates created unprecedented opportunities for land acquisition. In many regions, prosperous peasants and rural bourgeoisie acquired substantial holdings, creating a new class of rural proprietors. Yet the poorest rural inhabitants often found themselves worse off, as the loss of common lands and customary rights eliminated traditional safety nets. The Revolution's promise of equality foundered on the realities of rural poverty.

The revolutionary and Napoleonic wars brought additional disruption. Conscription drained villages of young men, while requisitions and taxation strained rural resources. Yet these same conflicts, by disrupting traditional trade patterns and creating new demands, sometimes stimulated rural industries and agricultural innovation. The Continental System, blocking British imports, encouraged domestic production of everything from sugar beets to merino wool.

Post-revolutionary France emerged with a fundamentally transformed rural structure. The Code Napoléon, mandating equal inheritance among children, ensured the progressive subdivision of holdings. This created a landscape of small proprietors - by 1882, France had 5.6 million agricultural holdings, the vast majority under 10 hectares. This democratization of land ownership, while admirable in principle, would later pose challenges for agricultural modernization.