Hailstorm of the French Revolution
Weather dramatically altered the events of the French Revolution, not by changing the course of a battle, but as a trigger to the beginning of the Revolution. By 1788, there was a significant economic crisis in France. Understanding the conditions in pre-Revolutionary France is essential to an overall understanding of the Revolution.
Agricultural production in France had changed little since the Middle Ages, and was not particularly adequate for the needs of the French population. Over the course of the 18th century, the population of France had increased by around 40 percent, from 20 million to 28 million. There was not a comparable increase in agricultural productivity. The productivity of the depleted soil was generally poor, and weather events caused serious problems with famine and crop losses. There had been poor harvests in 1769, 1770, 1775, and 1776.
These years were followed by several good years, with relatively long, hot summers. Grain production was good between 1777 and 1781. The remainder of the 1780s were not so good. First, there was an overly long and wet winter, then two years of cold temperatures as the result of a volcanic eruption, and then drought. In 1787, the harvest was good, but in 1788, drought again struck. Little could be planted, and what was quickly died.
On July 13, 1788, much of France was dry, particularly in the north. Fields around Paris were struggling, but producing both grains and vegetables. That July day, Paris and the surrounding areas were hit with a massive hailstorm. According to reports, hail as large as quart-size bottles fell. This hailstorm destroyed the few crops growing in France. The winter that followed was unusually cold, and floods came that spring.
By the spring of 1789, famine was a serious threat. The government began a plan to import food; however, this was too little, too late. On July 14, 1789, in response, in large part, to the famine and economic crises of the 1780s, the revolutionaries of France stormed the Bastille, beginning the French Revolution.