4 Sept. 2002
I. A World of Poverty
A. A population on the subsistence level
B. A society dependent on agriculture
C. Reasons for low agricultural productivity
II. The World of the Peasant Village
A. Who were the peasants?
1. agricultural workers
2. social inferiors
3. a culture based on tradition
B. The village community
1. 500-2000 inhabitants
2. village institutions: overlord, church, council
III. The Agricultural Revolution in England (1600-1800)
A. Raising agricultural productivity
1. new farming methods
2. enclosure and entrepreneurial initiative
B. The Agricultural Revolution and the peasants
1. individualism vs. village community
2. commercial agriculture vs. traditional agriculture