e countryside for food.In France, workers wages remained above price levels until 1947 when price level surpassed that of workers earnings and the French began to experience the same problems as the Germans in the form of insufficient wages. These low wages eventually caused many frustrated workers to strike, leading to lost workdays and decreased production. (Esposito 10). One factor that helped France out of its post WWII hardship was the central planning of the government. The French, led by Jean Monnet, created a system of indicative planning, beginning with the First Plan in 1948. The Frenchs planning set goals for economic indicators such as inflation, unemployment, and national product. Although these goals were not expected to necessarily be met, indicative planning helped set progress in motion and worked as a self-fulfilling prophecy, causing citizens to act with confidence that the economy would improve. The Frenchs planning also increased the flows of information in the market and led market players to be more optimistic about the future of Frances economy, driving them to greater investment.Another problem in the French economy in the years after World War II was that much of Frances planned industrial production regarded increased production of steel, which was dependent upon inputs from Germanys Ruhr Valley. After the War, the control over the production and allocation of goods in the Ruhr Valley became one of international concern. Frances plan to lead in the production of steel, a title once held by Germany, was hindered because they were unable to attain the needed inputs of coal and coke from the Ruhr Valley. An agreement was finally reached as the Schuman Plan allowed for resources of the Ruhr Valley to be shared by both France and Germany. The allocation of resources was controlled so that both countries would be allowed to attain enough resources to allow productivity, leaving France with an opportunity ...
