Economic Transformation and Social Tensions

France's economy in 1914 reflected both remarkable progress and persistent inequality. The country had become the world's fourth-largest industrial power, with major investments in Russia, the Ottoman Empire, and Latin America making Paris a global financial center. The Renault and Peugeot factories pioneered automobile production, while French aviation led the world in innovation.

However, this prosperity was unevenly distributed. Industrial workers, numbering over 4 million, faced long hours, dangerous conditions, and wages that lagged behind the cost of living. The Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT), embracing revolutionary syndicalism, organized strikes that frequently turned violent. In 1906-1909, railway workers, postal employees, and even teachers had walked off their jobs, met by government troops and arrests.

Rural France, still home to 56% of the population, struggled with different challenges. Small farmers, the backbone of Republican politics, faced competition from cheap imports and the exodus of youth to cities. The phylloxera plague had devastated vineyards, forcing replanting with American rootstock and driving many vigorous debates about tradition versus progress.