Winemaker rebellion in Languedoc
The winemaking rebellion in Languedoc ( French Révolte des vignerons or Révolte des gueux ) was a revolt of winegrowers in southern France in 1907, who rose against the government of Georges Clemenceau because of deteriorating working and living conditions due to increasing crises in agriculture . The 17th e régiment d'infanterie stationed in Béziers refused to take action against the insurgents and declared its solidarity, whereupon it was withdrawn and replaced by another unit.
Winemaking tradition in Languedoc
Wine has been cultivated in Languedoc since Roman times. In the Middle Ages, viticulture was mainly a matter for the monasteries. Agriculture as a whole, however, consisted primarily of the cultivation of grain and livestock (mainly cattle) and olive cultivation.
Viticulture developed particularly during the 18th century with the construction of the port of Sète and the completion of the Canal du Midi , which facilitated the export of wine to regions further away. At the same time, the methods of storing the wine improved. At the beginning of the French Revolution, around half of the agricultural land in the region around Béziers was cultivated with wine.
In the middle of the 19th century, railroad construction expanded in Languedoc and led to a further increase in wine exports, as one was no longer dependent on the time-consuming transport by rivers, especially to the industrial regions of northern and eastern France, where workers spend part of their wages in the Buying wine began to implement. The large markets of Paris and Lyon also opened up.
Vine diseases
In the 19th century, however, the region's viticulture suffered from several successive crises. A microscopic fungus caused the first plague in the middle of the century: powdery mildew . This was followed by massive phylloxera infestation in 1877 and finally powdery mildew again a few years later . Sometimes the vines could be saved and increasingly treated in different ways; Fungicides and the introduction of the phylloxera-resistant American vine did the rest.
Overproduction
The years 1902 and 1903 saw poor harvests due to the weather, but with acceptable prices and incomes for the producers. In 1904 and 1905, again due to the weather, Europe saw record harvests, and production remained very high in the two following years. The price per hectolitre fell from 24 francs in 1902/03 to 6 to 7 francs.
Languedoc wine was not selling well and the cellars were overcrowded. In 1905 there was a rally in Béziers with 15,000 participants.
Events in 1907
In 1907 the crisis worsened. The small vintners went into ruin, the agricultural workers found no work. The situation had an impact on the entire population, the ruin of the winegrowers also affected the traders and other dependent businesses and the misery affected the entire region. The 1906 harvest could not be sold. In February 1907 there was a tax strike in Baixas .
On March 11th, a group in the village of Argeliers gave the signal for the winemaking rebellion in the Minervois . It was led by Marcelin Albert , who founded the Comité de Argeliers , also called Comité de défense viticole . Albert organized a march of 87 winemakers to Narbonne with the intention of meeting a parliamentary commission. The committee also decided to organize conferences and rallies across the region every Sunday.
As a result, there were a number of demonstrations with a growing number of participants:
| Twelve rallies of revolt | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | place | Attendees |
| March 24th
March 31 7th of April April 14th April 21 April 28 5th of May 12th of May May 19th May 26 2th of June June 9th |
Cuxac-d'Aude | 300
600 1000 5000 10,000 20,000 80,000 120,000 170,000 220,000 250,000 600,000 to 800,000 |
Intervention of the 17th regiment of light infantry
On June 18, 1907, the 17th regiment of light infantry, one of the oldest and most respected of the French army, with veterans of the battles of Austerlitz , Auerstedt and Borodino , was mobilized in their barracks in Béziers and ordered to Agde , where it was in the crackdown the winegrowers revolt should take part.
Two days later, however, the majority of the soldiers, mostly from the region, decided to lay down their arms on the evening of June 20. 500 soldiers of the 6th Company returned with weapons and ammunition in a 20-kilometer march to Béziers. When they arrived there on the morning of June 21st, they were greeted with cheers by the population and moved to the center position on Boulevard Paul Riquet, where they fraternized with the residents and were provided with food and wine.
The example of the 17th Regiment was, of course, unacceptable to commanders and other authorities, and care was taken to keep the insubordination from spreading. Other units were deployed and on June 22nd the mutinous soldiers were arrested and brought to Agde, and the leaders of the mutiny later to Gafsa in Tunisia . During the First World War , the 17th regiment received combat missions on the front lines.
Another consequence of this episode was the regulation for military service, according to which the units would in future be assembled far away from the hometowns of the soldiers.
bibliography
- Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie . 1907, le millésime de la colère . L'Histoire No. 320, May 2007
- Georges Ferré. 1907, la guerre du vin. Chronique d'une désobéissance civique dans le Midi . Ed. Loubatières, 1997
- Emmanuel Leroy Ladurie. Histoire du Languedoc . PUF, 1967
- Jean Sagnes. Le Midi Rouge , 1982.
Web links
- Amancio Tenaguillo y Cortázar, Le vin sur la scene de l'histoire. 1, 1907: la révolte des vignerons dans le Midi , en Le vin social et politique , Cepdivin.org, mars 2005 (en francés)
- Lucha Obrera : Il ya cent ans, de mars à juin 1907: La révolte des vignerons du midi (en francés)
- La Vie : Le 19 juin 1907, la crise de la viticulture languedocienne débouche sur un affrontement tragique entre les forces de l'ordre et les manifestants. C'est la révolte d'une France rurale (en francés)
Individual evidence
- ^ Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie, 1907, le millésime de la colère. L'Histoire no 320, May 2007, p 64