Revolutions In Agriculture (+ Proto Industry) Britain

Question 1

Agricultural revolution definition(one of the reasons for the IR, mentioned in previous FC list)

2. Overton’s 3 criteria for an AG?

Answer 1

A series of technological and institutional advances in agriculture

2.
-variety of farming techniques
-success in feeding a growing population (beating Malthusian trap-food supply growth>population growth)
-increase in productivity and output

Question 2

AG is split into 3 phases

Answer 2

Yeoman’s revolution (16/17C)
Landlords revolution (18C)
19C revolution

Question 3

What were the technological and institutional advances (9) of the AG

Answer 3

‘Floating’ of water meadows

Introduction of fodder crops (clover, etc)

New arable rotations (Norfolk 4 field rotation-wheat turnips barley clover)

Greater use of manures

Regional specialisation e.g hops in Kent, East Anglia Pigs

Selective breeding to get most productive animals

Machinery (mowers seeders etc)

Consolidation of estates, bigger industrial farms (economies of scale)

Enclosure>privatising common wastes, pastures and open fields

Question 4

Enclosures (we have to explain: GOOD OR BAD? And when did it have an impact, before or after 18C?

Answer 4

Privatise land.

Question 5

Two views on enclosure.

E.g exam question: closure good or bad

Answer 5

Goths vs Vandals

Open fields vs civilisation of enclosures

Question 6

Reason for enclosure (Vandals) (3)

Answer 6

Full benefits of drainage and root crops were not possible without enclosure.

Removed unproductive workers> unemployed, moved to industry.

Common pool resource-tragedy of commons (Garrett Hardin)

Question 7

Reason against enclosure (Goths)

Answer 7

Essentially class robbery. Only richest benefit.

5 more reasons in Neeson’s arguments

Question 8

Two debates around enclosure

Answer 8

Was enclosure good or bad for growth and well being?

When did enclosure impact the economy? (BEFORE/AFTER 18C)

Question 9

What act increased enclosure?

2. Pro and con of the act. (1,1)

Answer 9

Enclosure Acts (1750) increased enclosure

Neg: Some argue productive peasant farmers were pushed off land.

Pos: Others argue enclosure removed small less productive farmers. These now landless people increased the unemployed workforce, becoming available for industrialisation. (timing of enclosure acts links the AR with the IR suggesting there was causality between enclosure and IR)

Question 10

Pro-enclosure argument (build on from last pro)

Answer 10

Leads to more farms, more output and less labour, less farm labour leads to more urbanisation and the growth of cities, cities lead to more economic growth.

(Cities are more productive as agglomeration etc)

Question 11

Overton- 3 ways enclosure increased productivity.

And what was needed to implement these new things?

Answer 11

1. Layout of land allowed for proper irrigation
2. Consolidation of land meant arable land could be used for commercial agriculture (EoS)
3. Open field system-reduced fallow (useless) periods, always used for something.

Note: property rights were needed to implement new techniques and innovations e.g machines. (Good institutions)

Question 12

Garret Harding’s pro-enclosure argument

Answer 12

Tragedy of commons and free rider problem

If everyone had access, deplete common land as they ignore social welfare. Private costs are necessary to avoid overgrazing.

Also free rider problem, no incentive to invest as others benefit without paying.

Question 13

Neeson’s anti-enclosure argument (4)

Includes with Goths argument earlier (inequality- only rich benefit)

Answer 13

Enclosure was more costly than productive

No tragedy of commons as common land was already policed (eval next slide)

Property rights were ineffective, contemporaries rose up against enclosure.

Inequality. Grazing one cow was half a years wages for a labourer: enclosure made this impossible. (Bad for peasants)

Question 14

Criticism of Neeson

Answer 14

No evidence that the policing of common land was effective in eliminating the idea of tragedy of commons

Only based on observations in Northamptonshire-enclosure movement was different elsewhere

Question 15

How should enclosure be judged?

Answer 15

By the timing of gains in agriculture.

Question 16

Allen’s views on timing of when the AR began (3)

Answer 16

Growth was fast up to 1740, slowed down after. (Consider ENCLOSURE ACT 1750-enclosures slowed growth!!!)

Suggests advances were undertaken by yeomen (peasant) farmers before 18C.

Implying enclosure was either only important before 18C, or completely unimportant

Question 17

Overton on timing of AR (counter-revisionist, against Allen!) (3)

Answer 17

Growth slow before 18C, accelerated in 18C

Suggest advances did not occur until main enclosure acts were passed in 18C.

Emphasis on idea of inefficient farmers removed!

Question 18

Agricultural output equation

Question 19

2 methods to generate data for 18C

Answer 19

Dean, Cole, Overton- population method

Jackson, Allen- demand curve method

Question 20

Population method and demand curve method, and what conclusions made from graph.

Answer 20

POPULATION METHOD:
Constrain equation so output=population

Demand curve method:
Assume entire demand curve must be estimated.

Graph shows agricultural output grows faster in 18C using pop method, (supporting Overton, Dean & Cole- counter-revisionists)

However demand method shows AR did not directly cause R (no sig changes in growth) (Jackson & Allen- revisionists)

Question 21

Exam q: Was there a proto-industrial revolution?

Proto-industry is the inbetween phase of ag and industry.

1. When did industry begin to matter? Century and % of total employment.

Answer 21

18C-became a large share of employment (34%)

Question 22

Characteristics of proto-industry (6) (1500-1700)

Answer 22

Industry expanded into countryside

Selling to export markets

Family labour

Became regionally concentrated

Decentralised still- not factories yet, still in homes

Hand techniques-not engines yet.

Question 23

3 theories that link proto-industry to the IR

Answer 23

Demographic acceleration model

Transition to capitalism model

Dualistic labour supply model

Question 24

Demographic acceleration model (2)

Links proto-industry to IR

Answer 24

Agriculture work was seasonal, so there was underemployment (want more work). Proto-industry was a labour response to underemployment.

Prototype industry allowed couples to marry sooner=fertility, population growth rose, creating cheaper labour for factories.

Question 25

Levine’s evidence to SUPPORT demographic acceleration theory (proto-industry lead to increased population)

Answer 25

Levine-

Some proto-industrial regions had lower FAFM (supports idea of married first and higher fertility)

And some agricultural regions had higher FAFM>lower fertility

Question 26

Coleman’s evidence to OPPOSE demographic acceleration theory (proto-industry lead to increased population) (2)

Answer 26

Coleman

Labour was not actually cheap

Many agricultural regions had lower FAFM, higher fertility,
And many proto-regions had higher FAFM-lower fertility

Thus dismisses idea of high fertility increasing supply of labour making labour cheap in factories.

Question 27

Transition to capitalism model

Answer 27

Industry has 2 phases: proto-industry, modern industry.

Proto-industrialisation was a natural response to season employment from agriculture (same idea as Demographic acceleration model!)

Reducing this underemployment increased AD and GDP.

Proto-industry created entrepreneurial class, and better trained workers. Then began exporting (First mover advantage!)

Question 28

Evidence OPPOSING proto-industry transitioning to capitalism. (Why transition to capitalism is incorrect)

5 points

Answer 28

Against: Coleman (CRITIC AGAIN)

1. argues proto-industrialisation did not cause industrialisation. (6/10 proto-regions deindustrialised)
2. Other countries had proto-industry but didn’t industrialise i.e China
3. Foreign markets were actually small relative to domestic, and others had foreign markets too e.g Belgium, so why didn’t they industrialise?
4. Entrepreneurs also came from agriculture and services (not just proto-industry)
5. Skills needed in factories (little) didn’t match to proto-industry.

Question 29

Dualistic labour supply model

Answer 29

Based off Lewis model…

Labour available in surplus, so they can move to industry without increasing wages as excess supply of it.

Cheap wages>higher profits, allowed capital investment. (MPL higher in modern sector)

Question 30

Evidence to oppose (2) and eval:

Answer 30

Timing of GDP growth is inconsistent with the labour surplus.

Wages were actually high in modern sector.

Eval: high wages in the longer run spurred industrialisation. (So wages getting gradually higher was good for industrialisation)