ABSTRACT
In 1806, the Seine-Inferieure was the pre-eminent cotton manufacturing department of the Empire. No account of Napoleonic Rouen is complete without consideration of the role it played in the development of the French cotton industry. Under Napoleon, the cotton industry is credited with experiencing the highest rate of growth within the French economy. Whilst the traditional Atlantic maritime economy floundered, the cotton industry prospered. According to Franr;:ois Crouzet and Louis Bergeron, the dynamism and strength of the cotton industry was such that it spearheaded the initial stages of the Industrial Revolution in France. 1 Three principal factors contributed to the cotton boom: mechanisation, industry protection in the guise of the Continental Blockade, and widening continental market opportunities. Crouzet argues that the Continental Blockade had a positive impact upon the French cotton industry, especially in the period 1806-1810. It shielded the domestic industry from English competition, and in a time of incessant economic warfare, made the best out of a bad situation. 2 Despite having problems with raw cotton supplies and English contraband, the French cotton industry is commonly perceived as the greatest economic success story of the Napoleonic era. In investigating Rouen, this chapter presents a critical assessment of the orthodox view of the Napoleonic cotton industry.
