POPULATION MOVEMENTS AND POLITICAL CHANGES IN 19th CENTURY FRANCE

In: The review of politics, Band 19, Heft 1, S. 37-47

Abstract

Demographic factors can exert an even deeper influence on pol'al trends than econ forces & soc ties - an influence which is more irresistible as the effects are slower & more difficult to detect. Examined is the influence of demographic conditions on the internal policy of France in the 19th cent. During that period a considerable decrease in mortality combined with a sharp decline_ in births resulted in an aging pop & consequently a more stable pol'al society. The movement of Ru depop began at the same time as the extension of the suffrage, & so it is impossible to discover the relation between internal migrations & pol'al fluctuations. It can only be assumed that the rapid urbanization of a half of the French nation contributed to the spread of republican & democratic ideas. The Ru exodus can also help explain the pol'al stability for Ru areas. Demographic factors can be used to explain the changes in the pol'al situation in Paris, particularly as the statistical records of pop movements are more complete than in other parts of France. (Modified IPSA). Adapted from the source document.