Wheat Trade and Wheat Prices in France, 1486-1913 (ICPSR 9777)

Published: Jan 12, 2006

Principal Investigator(s):
Bertrand Roehner

https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09777.v1

Version V1

Slide tabs to view more

Project Description

Summary

This collection presents a historical survey of the price and quantity of wheat produced in different localities in France. The purpose of the study was to examine price trends of a major food commodity within an important agricultural market in Western Europe and, in particular, to measure the correlation between wheat price fluctuations and demographic fluctuations in France. Prices and quantities of wheat were recorded, either fortnightly or monthly, by local officials in the major wheat-growing areas and subsequently relayed to higher levels of the French government. These tables of information were finally copied and maintained by the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Commerce and Agriculture and ultimately deposited in the French National Archives.

Citation

Roehner, Bertrand. Wheat Trade and Wheat Prices in France, 1486-1913. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2006-01-12. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09777.v1

Export Citation:

RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
EndNote

Subject Terms

agricultural markets agricultural production agricultural zones commodities demographic fluctuations food production historical periods markets price fluctuations price trends public officials trade trend analysis trends

Geographic Coverage

France Global

Scope of Project

Time Period(s)

1486-01 -- 1913-12

Date of Collection

1986-09 -- 1987-06

Data Collection Notes

These data are stored in a machine-readable tabular format with blanks used to separate elements within the tables. The files containing these data also include instructions for reading the tables.

Methodology

Sample

A representative sample of wheat markets covering every part of France, with the exception of Alsace-Lorraine, were chosen. After eliminating those with imprecise or incomplete information, 53 markets comprised the final list. The northern half of France is more heavily represented since wheat production is more extensive there than in the south. Usually one market per "departement" (administrative area), either that of the largest city or of the center with the largest quantity of sales, was chosen for inclusion in the collection. In addition, several large ports, such as Cherbourg and Dieppe, and other cities, such as Chateaudun and Albi, were also included.

Universe

All wheat markets in France for which prices and quantities sold were recorded by the French administration in the nineteenth century.

Data Source

Archives Nationales (Paris): F*11 1779-2678, F*11 2887-2984

Data Type(s)

aggregate data

event/transaction data

survey data

Version(s)

Original Release Date

1993-02-14

Version Date

2006-01-12

Version History

2006-01-12 All files were removed from dataset 4 and flagged as study-level files, so that they will accompany all downloads.

Notes

Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
The citation of this study may have changed due to the new version control system that has been implemented.

This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.