Discuss the social and economic impact of the Revolution in France.

The question requires that candidates offer a considered and balanced review of the social and economic impact of the Revolution. They could choose to consider the short-term impact or the impact over the whole period between 1789 and 1799. Socially, impact may include those factors that affected the Church or the social structure (the overthrow of the Ancien Régime and the increasing power of the bourgeoisie and the emergence of a property-owning peasantry). Another social impact was the greater political prominence of women, especially in the early stages. Some historians argue that ultimately the revolution led to a conservative social settlement with the middle classes and peasants now having a stake in a stable society. Economically, the impact could be discerned via crises such as hyperinflation caused by the assignat system, or perhaps the cost of revolutionary wars. It may also be argued that the revolution and wider political uncertainty undermined economic stability.