Description

The Grain Supply of England During the Napoleonic Period is a broad study of the profound influence the agricultural economy had on English domestic politics during the Napoleonic wars. During an extended period when war threatened unpredictable disruptions of trade, grain produced domestically was crucial to the economic health of the nation. A steady and affordable supply of domestically produced staple foodstuffs was politically important for keeping the population calm during wartime, and favorably disposed to governments that could assure an affordable food supply for the home front while still supplying troops abroad--and keeping farmers solvent. This study looks at the economic history of the period, including the influence of the "Corn Laws" that helped maintain the political and economic balance.