Paris has been long the hear of french political and econmic life, why has the city gained such prominence?

Question

Paris has been long the hear of french political and econmic life, why has the city gained such prominence?

Answer 1

It is the capital of the country. Basically became so because of its geographic position.

Answer 2

Paris is the capital as had been said but, of course, that does not explain why it is the political AND economic center of France. Certainly it is not always the case that a nation's capital is also its economic center.

In the case of Paris this is likely because of the confluence of several factors.

1. Once France was fully united there was a tendency to maintain strong central control. A tradition of centralization and government involvement in the economic sphere meant that most enterprises found it important to be in the political capitol.

2. Paris is positioned to take advantage of easy river connections to the coast and to the economic development in Germany, England and the Low countries. This trade supplanted the trade link to the Mediterranean which had been supremely important in earlier ages.

3. Paris is also in close proximity to the coal deposits that were the driving energy behind industrialization in the modern age.