The French economy after World War One was destroyed. The loss of man power for production, as well as the destruction of prime agricultural land led to an increased need for imports from other countries. Additionally, the cost of the war left an immense strain on Government Finances. In short, France was left in economic ruin at the end of the war. Here is a link to a document that will provide you with a much more in depth analysis of the french economy during and after ww1: http://www.delta.ens.fr/abstracts/wp200316.pdf