Chapter 19 Flashcards
At the end of the 17th century what was the typical profession and what percent of people worked in it?
Agrarian
80% of Western Europe
Both men and women
What was the issue with the agrarian society of the late 17th century?
Low amounts of grain produced Failed harvests every 8-9 years Forced to pull from reserves Prices soar "Famine Foods"- chestnuts, bark, dandelions, and grass Weak and susceptible to disease- dysentery and intestinal illnesses Flu and small pox Population down- death rates up!
What was the open field system?
Medieval agriculture
Village farming-in a given village there are large fields split into long narrow strips for farmers
No enclosure
Follow family patterns
What was the issue with the open field system?
Exhaustion of the soil- nitrogen depletion 3 year rotation -Wheat and rye -Oat and bean -Fallow- empty
What were the traditions of the open field system?
Villager rights reinforced Uniform crop rotation Common Lands -Open meadows for pasture -Horse and Oxen After harvest -Animals eat wheat and rye stubble -Gleaning- women pick up any left over grains
What were the conditions of the large agrarian population?
East- -Worst -Unrestricted noble authority over serfs -Sold families West- -Social conditions better -Freer serfs- own and pass on their own land -Village life- hard
Describe the Agricultural Revolution’s fallow.
Mid 17th century- progressive elimination of the fallow through alternating grain with nitrogen-restoring plants such as beans, peas, turnips, potatoes, and clovers/grasses
What were the effects of the fallow improvement?
New crops More food storage More animals More fertilizer More meat
What was the challenge with the Agricultural Revolution?
Traditional farming had open fields and common land rights, but in order to experiment they needed to be enclosed
Poor peasants did not want to give up their common rights
Landowners did want to make such a large and risky investment
Enclosure unsuccessful
Where did the Agricultural revolution originate?
Low countries- Holland in the lead
Early- mid 17th cent already
What caused the leadership of the Low Countries?
High Dutch population- pressure to feed and employ- use as much as you possibly can
Growth of towns and cities- stimulate overseas trade/commerce, good markets, specialization
Who came in 2nd to the Low Countries?
British
Who is Cornelius Vermuyden?
Dutch engineer
Large drainage project across Yorkshire and Cambridgeshire
Swamp converted into valuable English land
Who was Jethro Tull?
English
Farming through empirical methods
Use horses to plow- Oxen are too slow
Sow seed with drill equipment- even distribution
What was “the Cost of Enclosure”?
Aristocracy-higher revenue-higher rents- invest in tech
Some say distribution of land is unfair, some say fair
What are the Enclosure Acts?
Division of common land in proportion to ones property in the open-fields
Hurt peasants with small landholdings
What are tenant farmers?
Profit minded and market-oriented
Financed by large landowners who were previously independent
Fence fields, build drains, soil improved through fertilizer
Increase employment opportunity
What two major historic developments were a result of the Agricultural Revolution?
Rise of market-oriented estate agriculture Landless rural class proletariat
What is proletarianization?
Large numbers of small peasant farmers into landless rural wage earners
Cash wages and long hours
What pattern of population had Europe typically followed before the 18th century?
cyclical pattern
How did the population pattern change in the 18th century?
Growth
Why did the population change occur in the 18th century?
Women had more babies -Employment- marriage FEWER DEATH RATES Plague disappears Smallpox meds Better public health -Water and sewage with government support Better famine efforts -Canals and road transportation of food in an emergency New food- South America Less destructive wars
Why did cottage industry develop?
Large number of rural workers with no land
What is the cottage industry?
Part of the putting-out system
Craft products lent to them from merchants within their home
Also called- Domestic industry and protoindustrialization
What is the putting-out system?
Cooperation of merchant capitalists and rural workers
Merchants put out (loaned) materials to several cottage workers who would in turn process the materials in cottage industry and return the finished product to be sold. Some people worked independently then sold to merchants. Multiple families could also work together in worshops
What was the impact of the putting-out system?
Grew due to competitive advantages
Growth of textile industry
Unregulated- rather that restricted guild standards
Where did cotton industry/putting-out system first develop?
England
What did John Kay do?
Flying shuttle enabled the weaver to throw the shuttle back and forth with only one hand
What was made in the textile industry?
Linen, Woolen, and cotton cloth
Employs the most people
What were the roles of the family in textile industry?
Women and kids- prepare and spin
Men wove
Who was Grompton?
Mule for spinning cotton
What was the issue in the textile industry?
Imbalance- need 4 or 5 spinners to keep one weaver employed
Cheap, scattered, and unorganized
No regulation- time limits
Disputes over weights of material and cloth quality
Employer shortcomings
What characterized the Atlantic Economy expansion?
Growth of world trade
Who was the strongest in the Atlantic economy?
Britain
What set England apart in the Atlantic economy?
Profit and power ought to be jointly considered- Child
Union of public and private interests
What are the Navigation Acts?
Oliver Cromwell
Goods imported into England and Scotland needed to be brought over on British ships by British crew or by the ships of the producer country
Monopolized trade with British colonies
-Almost all British goods on British ships
Allowed Britain to develop a large team of experienced, tough-guy, sea men that could be drafted into the Royal Navy is needed
What was the aim of the Navigation Acts?
Form of economic warfare
Initial target- Dutch
Next was France
-Series of wars to claim control of Europe’s overseas expansion profits
What were the Wars that helped Britain gain dominance over French in the Atlantic trade?
War of the Spanish Succession
-Peace of Utrecht- Louis surrenders Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Hudson Bay territory
-Spain gives up asiento- African slave trade
Britain- sends one ship of merchandise to Spanish colonies annually by Porto Bello
War of the Austrian Succession (1740-1748)
7 Years’ War (1756-1763)
Fighting in America began
Treaty of Paris (1763)
-Lost all possessions on the mainland of North America
-Gave up many holdings in India
What happened when settlers came from England to America?
Free men and women- pledge to work for seven years for their right of passage
Prisoners or convicts could obtain farms after personal freedom was regained
American farmers could keep much of their produced product
What was the richest city in Western Europe of the 18th century?
London
When was slavery abolished in England?
1807
Who are Creoles?
People of Spanish blood born in America
Wealthy estate owners
Flourishing trade
What is debt peonage?
A planter or rancher keeps Indians in debt bondage by periodically advancing food, shelter, and small amounts of money
Who were the middle class in Spanish colonies?
Mestizos
Offspring of a Spanish man and an Indian woman
Could become creole if enough power and wealth were gained
Who was an influential economic figure of the time?
Adam Smith
What are the ideas of Adam Smith?
Free Competition - Lassiaz Faire Economic Liberalism Three duties of government -Defense against invasion -Maintain order with police and courts -Support public works and institutions
