This thesis examines the demographic transition in Europe from the late eighteenth to the twentieth century, focusing on the contrasting trajectories of England & Wales and France. It combines demographic indicators such as life expectancy at birth and the total fertility rate with fertility indices developed by the Princeton European Fertility Project.
The analysis examines three main explanatory dimensions: (i) the decline in mortality and the epidemiological transformation known as the health transition; (ii) the economic modernization that altered the relative costs and benefits of childbearing; and (iii) cultural and ideological change, particularly secularization, which legitimized fertility control.
The comparative evidence shows that England & Wales experienced a delayed fertility transition, which—combined with declining mortality—produced one of the most intense demographic expansions in Europe. France, by contrast, adopted voluntary fertility limitation much earlier, resulting in slower population growth and reflecting the influence of inheritance laws and revolutionary social change.
Overall, the study underscores that demographic transition is not a uniform process but the outcome of multiple interacting forces. It concludes that understanding the European experience requires integrating economic, epidemiological, and cultural perspectives to explain both the timing and the diversity of national demographic paths.