Paris Bread Riots of 1921

Written by Jacob Sullivan Edited by Zach Batson and Jackson Jewell

The Great Famine of 1920 hit France particularly hard. By 1921, the price of a loaf of bread in Paris had ballooned to nearly 20 Francs, 2000% the price it was just one year prior. Dismal crop yields combined with record-breaking heat waves crippled the nation’s ability to grow enough food to feed its people. By July, the people of Paris had had enough. Joseph Noulens, Minister of Agriculture and a very conservative member of the Bonapartian party, had attempted some land reforms in the previous year in an attempt to alleviate the situation, but his policies were ineffectual given the unseasonable weather. Despite this, Noulens did manage to get himself embroiled in a number of scandals during his tenure. On July 2nd of 1921, he proposed a reform to allow landowners to charge double for missing crop yields from tenant farmers if they were unable to meet their quotas. Such a proposal was outrageous to the already starving tenant farmers, who began a march on Paris in protest just outside the minister’s office. What started out as a peaceful protest quickly turned to an all-out riot as more and more hungry and frustrated people gathered outside of Noulens’ home.

Reports on the Bread Riots themselves are mixed, as accurate reporting on injuries and deaths during the event were not well recorded. However, what is known is that the violence started when a brick was thrown through the Minister's window, followed by rioters entering his home and dragging him into the street. The ensuing violence that followed was catastrophic. Not only was Noulens murdered, but the rioters began indiscriminately burning nearby homes, government offices, and bakeries. The Gendarmerie were slow to respond. According to some eyewitnesses from the event, this was due to many officers joining the rioters in their crusade across Paris. The violence did eventually die down once the Garde Nationale was mobilized to shut down the protest. Political chaos ensued after the riots, as no one was officially arrested in connection with the death of Noulens, and no formal investigations were issued by the Police. Fearing a second riot, and collusion by Parisian law enforcement, the government appointed former Socialist party member Alexandre Millerand as minister of Agriculture. Millerand began implementing more leftist policies for French agriculture, but his efforts were politically stymied by politicians and business leaders from the Bonapartian party, who did not appreciate his sudden appointment. As a result, despite the progressively more socialist reforms passed by the new minister, his efforts did little to help farmers due to the political forces that he faced. His deeds however did wonders for his political career, propelling him into the limelight for his political campaign in 1928.