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 Distinct social classes w/ certain privileges Little individualism

Introduction

• Old Regime fosters change in 18th CChanges in farming Early industrial Rev. arrivesColonization of New WorldExpansion of businessPreparation for wars

Major Features of Life

• Social Characteristics of Old RegimeAristocratic elites control privilegesEstablished churches support stateUrban workers organized into guildsPeasants pay high taxes

Major Features of Life

• Maintenance of TraditionSocial

Tradition was importantNobles held onto ancient privilegePeasants wanted restoration of manorial rights

EconomicExcept for GB, every nation’s economy was agrarian.All gov’ts concerned about harvest

Major Features of Life

• HierarchyMedieval rank became rigid during the centuryLaws regulated the dress of different classes-made

social hierarchy easily visible Lack of “individual rights”, emphasis on

“community” rights (nobility, church, guilds)

Aristocracy

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

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 landInvested in industry and commerceimmense political and social influence

Varieties of Aristocratic Privilege

• FranceNobles of the Robe – Civil servantsNobles of the sword – Military

French nobles exempt from:Taille: land taxCorvee: labor taxVingtieme: rarely paid in full

Aristocratic Resurgence

• Nobles responded to centralizing efforts of monarchy by:1. Preserving exclusiveness of titles2. Reserve appointments to officer corps and gov’t

bureaucracy 3. English Parliament, French parlement, German

diets, Austrian estates, all challenge monarchy4. Remain free from taxes; collect feudal dues

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 courtsPeasants have rights and EnglishmenIn E. Eur, landowners oversee courtsTaxes were the burden of peasants/serfs on

continent

The Land & its Tillers

• Obligations of PeasantsFR – Feudal dues & corvees.Prus/Aust – Landowners have complete control

The RobotRussia – “Soul” tax, forced labor. No legal

recourseSimilar to slavery

The Land & its Tillers

• RebellionsRussian czars degraded condition of serfsPugachev – Leader of largest rebellion in 18th CCatherine the Great had considered loosening

restrictions on serfs before rebellion.Very few rebellions in W. Eur.

Land & it’s Tillers

• Aristocratic Domination of Countryside – England1671-1831: English landowners had the exclusive

legal right to hunt Poor excluded because elites believed hunting would

undermine workMerchants excluded b/c Parl. wanted to demonstrate

landed wealth over commercial wealthGamekeepers and gentry benefited from lawsPoaching and the black market: high demand for

luxury meat leads to poaching for profit

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

Agricultural Revolution

• New Crops/New MethodsThe Dutch were leaders in farming.Cornelius Vermuyden – land reclamation

• British Innovators Jethro Tull – seed drills and iron plowRobert Bakewell – animal breeding“Turnip” Townsend – crop rotation to restore

nutrientsArthur Young – documented advances

Agricultural Revolution• Enclosure Movement Replaces Open-Field s

What were open fields?Village communities which farmed land using the 2 or 3

field systemWhat was enclosure?

Fencing of land to scientifically study land and increase production

Who was responsible for enclosure?Large landowners pushed laws through parliament

What was the impact of enclosure?Commercialization of agriculture

Agricultural Revolution

• Limited Improvements in the EastWhy did E. Eur not improve farming?

No motivation. Landlords had tight control over serfs.

Agricultural Revolution

• Population Expansion - 18th CenturyWhat were the reasons for population growth?

Decline of death rate, fewer wars, fewer epidemics, better hygiene,

***Changes in food supply - PotatoWhat was the impact of the population growth?

New demand for goods, food, jobs, servicesIncrease in migration Traditions of the Old Regime were tested

The “Columbian The “Columbian Exchange”Exchange”

The “Columbian The “Columbian Exchange”Exchange” Squash Avocado Peppers Sweet Potatoes

Turkey Pumpkin Tobacco Quinine

Cocoa Pineapple

Cassava POTATO

Peanut TOMATO Vanilla MAIZE

Syphilis

Olive COFFEE BEAN Banana Rice

Onion Turnip Honeybee Barley

Grape Peach SUGAR CANE Oats

Citrus Fruits Pear Wheat HORSE

Cattle Sheep Pigs Smallpox

Flu Typhus Measles Malaria

Diptheria Whooping Cough

Trinkets

Liquor

GUNS

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

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?

The Industrial Revolution• Revolution in Consumption

What factors increased demand for consumer goods?Prosperity, marketing/advertising, changes in styles to

bring new fashions and inventions, rise of fashion publications made all aware of new styles.

• Industrial Leadership in GBWhat factors made GB the home of the I.R.?

Free trade, good roads w/o tolls, abundance of coal and iron, sound banking, efficient and fair taxation, mobility of society

The Industrial Revolution

• New Methods of Textile ProductionWhat are textiles?

Cloth, which became the first mass-produced items.How were they produced before the I.R.?

The domestic system, a.k.a “the putting out system”How were they produced after the I.R.?

In factories

Inventions

• John Kay – Flying shuttle – increased production of weavers. (1730s)

• James Hargreaves – Spinning Jenny – allowed more spindles of thread to be spun (1760s)

• Richard Arkwright (1760s) – water-powered device to produce cotton fabric

The Industrial Revolution• The Steam Engine***

Who invented it?Thomas Newcomen engine (early 1700s) – very

inefficientJames Watt (1760s) – Made steam engine more usable

Why is it important in the I.R.?It became the prime mover for all industry – shipping,

trains, manufacturing