The claim related to the economic situation in 18th-century France that is most directly supported by this passage is "The economic crisis in France was exacerbated by a combination of factors, including a poor harvest, an unfavorable trade treaty with England, and increased urbanization."
The passage provides evidence for each of these factors. The poor harvest is mentioned in the first sentence, and the passage goes on to describe the devastating impact it had on the cloth industry.
The unfavorable trade treaty with England is also mentioned in the first sentence, and the passage explains how it led to a flood of cheap imports that overwhelmed French manufacturers.
Finally, the passage discusses the impact of increased urbanization on the economic crisis, noting that the influx of hungry peasants from rural areas put a strain on already strained urban resources.
The full question is:
Complete Question :
The poor harvest could not have come at a worse moment. France had entered into an unfavorable trade treaty with England in 1776. The pact reduced import duties on English goods, the notion being to encourage French manufacturers to mechanize production in response to enhanced competition. A fl ood of cheap imports from across the Channel overwhelmed the cloth industry. Cloth production alone fell by 50 percent between 1787 and 1789. The 5,672 looms in Amiens and Abbeville in 1785 were down to 2,204 by 1789. Thirty-six thousand people were put out of work, throwing many poor workers onto city streets at a time when hungry peasants were fl ocking to urban centers in search of food. The rural crisis might have been short-lived had not urban unemployment mushroomed at the same time. In Paris, the government subsidized bread prices out of fear of the mobs, but to no avail. The situation was soon out of control. . . .
Which claim related to the economic situation in 18th-century France is most directly supported by this passage?