3.3- Resistance to Reform
Revolutions
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The Flour War (1775)
- In 1774, Turgot, the French finance minister, deregulated the grain trade, aiming to boost the agricultural economy.
- The timing coincided with poor harvests in some regions, leading to price spikes as landowners sold grain to areas with deficits.
- Peasants, accustomed to a "moral economy" where the king protected them from price gouging, felt abandoned by the deregulation.
- This sparked the Flour War of 1775, with uprisings targeting those perceived as profiting from the grain shortage, including landowners, merchants, and officials.
- The peasants believed that the king had a duty to prevent such exploitation, and their unrest reflected their disillusionment with the free trade system.
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