{"id":211,"date":"2021-11-11T07:30:00","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T07:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/strivingauthor.com\/?p=211"},"modified":"2021-11-10T20:28:20","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T20:28:20","slug":"chapter-8-economics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/strivingauthor.com\/?p=211","title":{"rendered":"Chapter 8: “Economics”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Brand new post for a brand new day!! This week is all about chapter 8 of Defy<\/em> – Economics<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, a quick note: You may have noticed this already, but going on, I’m going to focus more on the historical aspect of the book. I’ll usually end with tying it into the storyline of the book. I’m just testing out a new way to explain the topics behind each chapter and give you more context. Enjoy!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What was France like after WW1?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Following World War 1, France was deep in an economic depression. There was massive inflammation and the franc lost almost half of its value. The national debt almost doubled and the country was struggling to survive. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to their economic troubles, the working-class male was scarce. Almost 27% of males between the ages of 18 and 27 were killed in the war. This resulted in a limited workforce as well as reduced births. Agricultural and Industrial production was reduced by nearly 45% and infrastructure within the occupied region suffered near or total destruction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Great Depression<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Great Depression hit France in 1931, though, by this time, the country had some chance to recover from WW1. Overall, the effect of the Depression was too severe, yet it still had bad repercussions. Unemployment raised by 5% and production levels fell by 20%, but there was no banking crisis. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since France was mostly self-sufficient, they were able to suffer less severe consequences, yet, this also meant it lasted longer in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

On top of all of this, France was in a state of unrest. There were riots and protests due to the rising unemployment levels and the struggling economy. Overall, they were barely able to recover enough before WW2 hit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What did WW2 do to France?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Well, as mentioned in the book, France slowly lost people and businesses often went under. When the Nazis took over, there was a mass round-up of workers who were sent to work in various different places. They also stripped France of almost all of their food production, as well as demanded heavy cash payments. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Forced labor and food shortages plagued France during the occupation. Food became scarce, leading to strict rationing and widespread hunger. It also caused the appearance of a black market, which many Nazi soldiers benefited from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n