Fiat Money Inflation in France, Andrew Dickson White
Fiat Money Inflation in France, Andrew Dickson White
List: $7.95 | Sale: $5.57
Club: $3.97

Fiat Money Inflation in France

Author: Andrew Dickson White

Narrator: Ethan Williams

Unabridged: 2 hr 18 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Stream Readers

Published: 03/21/2023


Synopsis

"Fiat Money Inflation in France" is a book written by Andrew Dickson White, a prominent historian and diplomat, which explores the causes and consequences of the inflationary period in France during the late 18th century.The book describes the financial crisis that occurred in France during the French Revolution, when the government began printing vast amounts of paper money, known as assignats, to fund its war efforts and other expenditures. The resulting inflation had devastating effects on the economy, causing widespread poverty, social unrest, and political instability.White analyzes the economic and political factors that contributed to the inflation, including the government's reliance on paper money, the lack of fiscal discipline, and the breakdown of the tax system. He also examines the impact of the inflation on various sectors of society, such as farmers, merchants, and workers, and the role of inflation in fueling political radicalism and the rise of Napoleon Bonaparte.Overall, "Fiat Money Inflation in France" is a seminal work on the history of money and inflation, and is often cited as a cautionary tale for governments and central banks about the dangers of excessive money creation

Reviews

Goodreads review by Patrick on December 01, 2023

2011 - Short, classic work on what happened in the French Revolution regarding money. If you don't know already, you may be amazed at how bad everyday life and commerce got, along with the Terror. The book left out a few things that I wanted it to explore: - What did the government do to/with the old......more

Goodreads review by Kurt on November 25, 2021

Highly fascinating historical account of hyper inflation and government addiction to printing fiat.......more

Goodreads review by Marduk on March 22, 2023

Fiat money has always had the same conclusion - failure. Yet every instance it's "this time is different." Including the current one. Tips for when you're trying to educate the unwashed masses on the parity between gold coin and paper money: "To reach the climax of ferocity, the Convention decreed, in......more

Goodreads review by Diego on February 23, 2025

In 1789, France faced a severe financial crisis, burdened by heavy debt and a serious deficit. To address this, the government proposed issuing 400 million livres in paper money (assignats), backed by the confiscated properties of the French Church. The idea was that the sale of these properties wou......more

Goodreads review by Timothy on July 02, 2014

Laissez Faire Books (LFB.org) is preparing a new edition of this classic. I wrote the foreword to it. Check it out in a few weeks. I rated it four of five stars here only because White was not a monetary economist, but, instead, a historian. This monograph history does not set out to explain why thin......more