CBSE Class 9 Answered

Subsistence crisis is a situation in which people are not even able to satisfy their basic necessities.From 1715 to 1789, the population of France increased from about 23 million to 28 million. This led to a raise in demand for the foodgrains. However, the production was not enough for the demand. This resulted in a rapid increase in price of the bread, the staple diet of majority.

On the other hand, most of the workers were employed as labourers in workshops whose owner fixed their wages. This made them unable to keep pace with the increasing prices. Due to these reasons, the gap widened between the poor and the rich. This forced subsistence crisis over France.