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The Society and Economy Under the Old Regime

The Society and Economy Under the Old Regime. Introduction. Old Regime The life and institutions of prerevolutionary Europe Politically Rule of absolutism Economically Scarcity of food Agrarian society Undeveloped financial systems Socially

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The Society and Economy Under the Old Regime

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  1. The Society and Economy Under the Old Regime

  2. Introduction • Old Regime • The life and institutions of prerevolutionary Europe • Politically • Rule of absolutism • Economically • Scarcity of food • Agrarian society • Undeveloped financial systems • Socially • Distinct social classes w/ certain privileges • Little individualism

  3. Introduction • Old Regime fosters change in 18th C • Changes in farming • Early industrial Rev. arrives • Colonization of New World • Expansion of business • Preparation for wars

  4. Major Features of Life • Social Characteristics of Old Regime • Aristocratic elites control privileges • Established churches support state • Urban workers organized into guilds • Peasants pay high taxes

  5. Major Features of Life • Maintenance of Tradition • Social • Tradition was important • Nobles held onto ancient privilege • Peasants wanted restoration of manorial rights • Economic • Except for GB, every nation’s economy was agrarian. • All gov’ts concerned about harvest

  6. Major Features of Life • Hierarchy • Medieval rank became rigid during the century • Laws regulated the dress of different classes-made social hierarchy easily visible • Lack of “individual rights”, emphasis on “community” rights (nobility, church, guilds)

  7. Aristocracy • 1-5% of the population • Wealthiest sector • Separate legal bodies • Land was source of power

  8. Varieties of Aristocratic Privilege • Aristocracy was a matter of birth and privilege • British Nobility • Smallest, wealthiest, and most socially responsible aristocracy in Eur. • 400 families, eldest males sat in House of Lords, through corruption of electoral system • Owned ¼ of all arable land • Invested in industry and commerce • immense political and social influence

  9. Varieties of Aristocratic Privilege • France • Nobles of the Robe – Civil servants • Nobles of the sword – Military • French nobles exempt from: • Taille: land tax • Corvee: labor tax • Vingtieme: rarely paid in full

  10. Aristocratic Resurgence • Nobles responded to centralizing efforts of monarchy by: • Preserving exclusiveness of titles • Reserve appointments to officer corps and gov’t bureaucracy • English Parliament, French parlement, German diets, Austrian estates, all challenge monarchy • Remain free from taxes; collect feudal dues

  11. The Land & It’s Tillers • 75% of population worked the land • Peasants/Serfs • Serfdom more common in E. Eur than W.Eur. • In GB, justices of peace oversee courts • Peasants have rights and Englishmen • In E. Eur, landowners oversee courts • Taxes were the burden of peasants/serfs on continent

  12. The Land & its Tillers • Obligations of Peasants • FR – Feudal dues & corvees. • Prus/Aust – Landowners have complete control • The Robot • Russia – “Soul” tax, forced labor. No legal recourse • Similar to slavery

  13. The Land & its Tillers • Rebellions • Russian czars degraded condition of serfs • Pugachev – Leader of largest rebellion in 18th C • Catherine the Great had considered loosening restrictions on serfs before rebellion. • Very few rebellions in W. Eur.

  14. Land & it’s Tillers • Aristocratic Domination of Countryside – England • 1671-1831: English landowners had the exclusive legal right to hunt • Poor excluded because elites believed hunting would undermine work • Merchants excluded b/c Parl. wanted to demonstrate landed wealth over commercial wealth • Gamekeepers and gentry benefited from laws • Poaching and the black market: high demand for luxury meat leads to poaching for profit

  15. Family Structure/Family Economy • Household was basic unit of production/consumption. • Since most people lived in rural areas, most farms and workshops were organized by the family.

  16. Family Structures/Family Economy • Households • What were households like in NW Europe?

  17. Family Structure/Family Economy • Households • What were households like in E. Europe?

  18. Family Structure/Family Economy • Family Economy • What was the family economy and how did it work? Are there different types of family economies?

  19. Family Structure/Family Economy • Women/Family Economy • What was the role of women in the family economy? Did women’s roles differ depending on where they lived?

  20. Family Structure/Family Economy • Children/Family Economy • What was the role of children in the 18th C family? What was life like for kids?

  21. The Agricultural Revolution • Goal of peasants = maintain food supply • Food prices rose steadily in 18th C due to population growth • Agricultural revolution was due to farming innovation

  22. Agricultural Revolution • New Crops/New Methods • The Dutch were leaders in farming. • Cornelius Vermuyden • British Innovators • Jethro Tull • Robert Bakewell • “Turnip” Townsend • Arthur Young

  23. Agricultural Revolution • Enclosure Movement Replaces Open-Field s • What were open fields? • What was enclosure? • Who was responsible for enclosure? • What was the impact of enclosure?

  24. Agricultural Revolution • Limited Improvements in the East • Why did E. Eur not improve farming?

  25. Agricultural Revolution • Population Expansion • What were the reasons for population growth? • What was the impact of the population growth?

  26. The “Columbian Exchange”

  27. The Columbian Exchange • From the New World to Europe • Diseases: syphilis • Plants: potatoes, corn, tomatoes, pineapple, tobacco, beans, vanilla, chocolate • Animals: turkeys • Gold and silver • From Europe to the New World • Diseases: small pox, measles, bubonic, plague, influenza, typhus • Plants: wheat, sugar, rice coffee • Animals: horses, cows, pigs, sheep, goats, chickens

  28. The Industrial Revolution • Began in the 2nd half of the 18th C • Period of sustained growth • Raised standard of living • Was it an evolution or a revolution?

  29. The Industrial Revolution • Revolution in Consumption • What factors increased demand for consumer goods? • Industrial Leadership in GB • What factors made GB the home of the I.R.?

  30. The Industrial Revolution • New Methods of Textile Production • What are textiles? • How were they produced before the I.R.? • How were they produced after the I.R.?

  31. The Industrial Revolution • The Steam Engine • Who invented it? • Why is it important in the I.R.? • Iron Production • What was the impact of iron in the I.R.?

  32. Impact of Agricultural/Industrial Revolutions on Working Women • How do women’s roles change as a result of new innovations in agriculture and industry?

  33. The Growth of Cities • Growth of Capitals • Why did capital cities grow in the 18th C? • Emergence of New Cities and Growth of Small Towns • Why did new cities emerge in the 18th C?

  34. Growth of Cities • Urban Classes • What was the nature of the upper class, middle class and the artisans in the cities? • How did these groups relate? • Upper class- • Middle class – • Artisans – • Urban Riot

  35. The Jewish Population • What was a Jewish ghetto? • How were Jewish people treated in the 18th C? • What was the role of Jewish people in 18th C towns?

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