Because of sheer geographic and demographic size France was powerful and important in economic and political affairs around the time of the Industrial Revolution. Combined with a resistance to industrialization, France avoided associated problems. Hope this helps. :)
Industrialization in France was better regulated than in other countries. France made sure that agriculture remained strong. It had a modest urban development, and allowed for peasants to still have a prominent role in society, the percentage of the population dedicated to agriculture declined, but not even close to how it did in other countries. Under these conditions, they were less keen to gather as much in big cities looking for jobs, as they still could work the land, avoiding problems like unemployment, overpopulation, and economic speculation.
