Nelson & His World

The current populations of the U.K. and France are quite similar.

And it's fairly well known that France was bigger than us during the Revolutionary/Napoleonic Wars.

But I recently came across some statistics which I found quite interesting.

In 1799:

Population of Great Britain = 9 million

Population of France = 26 million.

I hadn't realised the differential was THAT big!

BUT

Income (I guess equivalent of GDP) of GB = £135 million

Income of France = £112.5 million

So GDP per head more than 3 times greater in Britain than in France.

That obviously reflects the industrialisation of Britain - a more efficient system of agriculture - and the overseas territories/Empire.

But that is still pretty extreme.

We must have appeared an attractive prize for an aggressive foe!!

MB

That is a most interesting figure. I was aware that the birthrate had declined rapidly in France during the 19th and early 20th century but had no idea that it had started from such a high point. No wonder they were ripe for revolution when their GDP was lower than the UK's, wealth was distributed even more inequitably, and taxation burdened the poor much more than the aristocracy.

Life was certainly tough for the poor in the UK during the 18th century too, but living standards did actually improve, albeit erratically, in the years after the French Revolution so there was no corresponding, widespread grass roots swell of support for revolution here, despite agitation that at times alarmed government: 'hardship provoked sporadic violence and protest, but seldom doctrines of revolution or anarchy.' [source: John Bowle: The English Experience, Phoenix Press 1971]