17. France’s Peasants Supported the French Revolution for Reasons That Had Nothing to Do With the Revolution
In 1789, grain shortages in France led to higher bread prices that hit the lower classes hard. In their distress, the poor’s belief in the Famine Plot evolved to include not only diabolical schemes to starve them but to murder and burn them as well. Driven by a widespread panic aptly named The Great Fear, France’s poor took matters into their own hands and went after the elites. To be fair, France’s upper classes had it coming for centuries of exploitation. However, they were innocent of the Hunger Plot.
The 1789 French Revolution is often viewed through the lens of Paris. Dramatic events took place there, and the key figures who grabbed the limelight were in the French capital. However, without support from the peasants – the bulk of France’s population – or at least their consent to do away with the aristocratic order, the revolution would have fizzled. Ironically, peasant support did not result from their understanding and approval of what was going on in Paris. Instead, it was caused by a flood of fake news and untrue rumors that drove them into a panic. To wit, the elites were putting the final touches on the Famine Plot.