HIST 102: Western Civilization II A) Discuss some examples of how the nobility d
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Question
HIST 102: Western Civilization II
A) Discuss some examples of how the nobility dominated European society. Contrast this traditional role with the changes brought about by the agricultural revolution, and the industrial revolution and urban growth. In your post, be sure to mention at least two changes prompted by the agricultural revolution that are mentioned in the video, “What Was the Agricultural Revolution?” Your answer should be two to three paragraphs in length. Be sure to give detailed consideration to each topic in the question. The answer is not stated explicitly in the chapter. You have to sift through the facts and come up with your own original conclusion. B) Several nations set up mercantile empires in the eighteenth century. Discuss how those empires differed. After viewing the “Palace of Versailles” video, discuss whether there was a probable connection between the transatlantic economy and the construction of that grand palace.
Explanation / Answer
A. Early modern European society was a hierarchy. Most people identified closely with their social class. They knew where they stood in terms of social class and they lived accordingly, expecting and accepting inequalities as simply a part of life. At the top of the hierarchy stood the nobility. Nobles were titled, privileged, and usually wealthy and they owned much of Europe's land. Most nobles inherited their rank from generations of ancestors who had demonstrated their military prowess throughout the Middle Ages, impressing their monarchs and gaining their lands as a reward.
By the 16th century, however, most nobles had abandoned their military careers, focusing instead on political power. They were usually influential in their national governments and at home, on their own manors and estates, they exercised quite a bit of control over the people who worked their lands, collecting taxes and tributes of labor, serving as judges and pretty much running the show.
Peasants
The majority of Europeans, however, were not nobles; they were rural peasants, the people who worked the land. In fact, early modern Europe was very much a rural and agricultural society, for in the 16th century, about 90% of the population lived on farms or in small rural villages. By this time, most European peasants were free, rather than tied to the land on which they lived. But they still owed their local nobility taxes and labor. Some peasants rose to the rank of landowners, but most rented their homes and worked on land owned by others.
Peasant life was governed by agriculture and based on the cycle of the seasons. In Northern Europe, peasants grew winter wheat, rye, barley, peas, and beans. Closer to the Mediterranean Sea, farmers concentrated on grains, olives, and grapes. In mountainous areas, peasants raised animals and grew whatever crops they could. Most of them lived simple lives with few material possessions. Their homes usually consisted of one or two rooms, which they shared with their animals during bad weather. They might own a bed, a table, a storage chest, and some cooking utensils, but that was about it. They ate simple fare, mostly bread, beans, peas, and vegetables, but only rarely any meat or dairy products.
Every so often, peasants got fed up with their situation and revolted in protest of harsh and greedy nobles, economic downturns, bad harvests, and land enclosures that diminished their potential for agricultural productivity and and increased their chances of starvation. Revolts broke out in Hungary in 1514, Germany in 1525, and England in 1549. In all three cases, the peasants were squashed like bugs.
Urban Life
Although rural life continued to dominate early modern Europe, urban life was on the rise. Cities grew fast and assumed an ever-increasing cultural and economic role. At the beginning of the 16th century, only Paris, Naples, Venice, and Istanbul had populations of over 100,000 people. By the end of the century, 12 cities had reached this level and they were joined by many smaller cities that were also busy and flourishing.
Some city dwellers concentrated on trade and finance. These merchants and bankers soon formed a new middle class, growing in status and political influence as they expanded their wealth. Other urban residents practiced trades and united into guilds, which were workers' organizations that regulated training, labor, wages, and product quality. The guilds were managed by master craftsmen, who had their own shops. Beneath them were journeymen, who had completed most of their training but still worked for the masters, and apprentices, who were learning a trade. At the bottom rung of urban life were the servants and unskilled workers, who usually comprised 15-30% of a city's population. City life could be risky, especially for the lower classes, as disease ran rampant, poverty and hunger were a constant threat, and disasters like fires could occur at any time.
Families
Whether a person was a noble, a peasant, or a city dweller, more often than not, he or she lived with a family. Indeed, family life was central for early modern Europeans. Most families were nuclear families made up of a married couple and their children. But sometimes extended families lived together to increase their chances of survival and prosperity.
B. Mercantilism was a political movement and an economic theory, dominant in Europe between 1600 and 1800.
The "mercantile system" developed logically from the changes inherent in the decline of feudalism, the rise of strong nation-states, and the development of a world market economy. Mercantilists advocated the use of the state's military power to ensure local markets and supply sources were protected.
Generally, mercantilism holds the prosperity of a nation dependent upon its supply of capital, and assumes that the global volume of trade is "unchangeable." In other words a positive balance of trade ought to be maintained, with a surplus of exports. The following ideas, and the underlying principles, may be called mercantilism:
The economic health or wealth of a nation can be measured by the amount of precious metal, gold, or silver, which it possessed.
A favorable balance of trade is essential.
Each nation should strive for economic self-sufficiency, increasing domestic production, and founding new home industries.
Agriculture should be encouraged, reducing the need to import food.
Tariffs should be high on imported manufactured goods and low on imported raw material.
A merchant fleet is of vital importance, avoiding the need for foreign assistance in transporting goods and raw materials.
Colonies should provide markets for manufactured goods and sources of raw material.
A large population is important to provide a domestic labor force and to people colonies.
The crown or state should be heavily involved in regulating the economy
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