Peasants, Politicians and Producers - 9780521333474

Peasants, Politicians and ProducersThe Organisation of Agriculture in France since 1918\nAuthor(s): Mark C. Cleary\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Cambridge University Press, United Kingdom\nImprint: Cambridge University Press\nISBN-13: 9780521333474, 978-0521333474\nSynopsis\nThis book examines the social history and historical geography of the most important agricultural pressure groups in France since about 1918. Some were practical and pragmatic groups (co-operatives, banks and mutual-aid associations), others were inspired by right- or left-wing political movements (the Peasant Corporation under Vichy), yet others were sponsored by the Catholic Church (the Young Christian Farmers). Whatever their origins, all were important in shaping the evolution of French farming this century. The transformation of an isolated, autarkic peasantry into highly efficient agricultural producers, the role of the state in influencing agricultural modernization and the place of the European community .