Did English Workers Have A Higher Standard

Of Living Then Their French Counterparts Or Vice Versa. Essay, Research Paper

Did English workers have a higher standard of living then their French counterparts or vice versa. What was the impact of the French

revolution and the British industrial revolution on living standards in the two

countries.The measurement of standards of living is a contentious

subject in the fields of both economic history and economic development.. Real wages are the most common measure of

standards of living, and the relative ease of their calculation makes their use

valuable.. However real wages do not

tell the full story.. Other

environmental and social factors heavily influence standards of living.. Factors such as access to clean air, clean

water and political representation are but a selection of a plethora of other

indicators.. These variables are often

difficult to quantify empirically and much of the evidence for these factors is

qualitative in nature.. Different people

place different values on non-monetary factors.. Williamson regards clean air as a luxury item, whereas others

would regards it as a necessity or even a right.. The subjective nature of such standard of life measures fits

uneasily with more precise quantitative real wage measures.. I hope to examine both real wage and non

monetary evidence whilst answering this question, before examining the effects

of two very differing revolutions on the relative standards of living in

Britain and France.If real wages are taken to be an accurate measure of

standards of living then almost all historians would agree that British workers

enjoyed a higher standard of living than their French counterparts.. Even O.Brien and Keyder admit that in some

periods of the 19th century French real wages were 45% below those

in Britain.. These figures corroborate

evidence from contemporary observers, such as Arthur Young, which suggested

French real wages were lower than British ones.. O.Brien and Keyder argue that real wages tell us very little

about welfare standards, especially when used for comparative purposes.. They suggest that real wage estimates are bias

in favour of England.s more heavily salaried and waged population.. In 1860 87% of Britain.s workf0orce were

salaried or waged, but in 1906 only 46% of the French labour force was waged or

salaried. The persistence of peasant, family run farms in France was the

primary reason for this much smaller percentage. Real wage levels tell us of

the standards of living of only a minority of the French population.. Demographic structure also distorts these

figures.. The slow rate of population

growth in France lessened the dependency ratio.. The real wage in England had to support more people than the real

wage in France.. Real wages are also a

poor indicator of average earnings.. The

proletarianisation of the workforce in Britain meant that urban workers

suffered more heavily from unemployment and a higher incidence of casual

labour.. In other words not everyone

received the real wage all of the time..

Again, the persistence of a more peasant based agriculture ensured that

less workers were unemployed or casually employed. The slower separation of the

means of production in France whereby the peasants maintained control over land

and capital meant that wages were but one source of income.. Peasants in France accrued income from their

capital and land.. English workers were

largely landless and accrued income almost entirely from wages.. One cannot dispute that British real wages

were consistently and appreciably above those in France, but as we have seen

real wages, especially in France, are a poor indicator of both average earnings

and standards of living.. This finding

is further strengthened upon examination of contemporary accounts.. Birbeck talks of the: .Superior condition of

the (French) working class. whilst Colman talks of the French as: .more civil,

cleanly, industrious frugal, sober, or better dressed people... Indeed Colman contrasts his positive view of

the French workers with a more negative view of English agricultural workers:

.The very poor condition of a large portion of the English agricultural labouring

population must be acknowledged... These

contemporary accounts help us to conclude that real wage data is often

uninformative and indeed often misleading as an indicator of standards of

living.We see in the work of O.Brien and Keyder a revision of the

assessment of French living standards..

French living standards were not dramatically lower than those of

Britain.. Crafts suggests that contrary

to the traditional belief (Kemp, Kindleberger etc) peasant farming was not a

restraint on the living standards of the French workers.. Traditionally the slower and later

industrialisation of France has been seen as a primary reason for significantly

lower standards of living in France..

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