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
