Rural Society in Early Modern times III (Steve Hindle): Historiographical perspectives
- Created by: Alasdair
- Created on: 18-05-18 16:44
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- Rural Society in Early Modern times III (Steve Hindle): Historiographical perspectives
- Controversy
- Feudalism
- Over definition of feudalism
- Over chronology of feudalism's crisis and decline
- Most commentators agree
- feudal relations loosely defined remained characteristic of most of Eastern and some of Western Europe until end of our period
- Robert Brenner argues
- The extent to which agrarian class relations were more conducive to exploitation, individualism and capitalist economic development in England
- Croot and Parker argue
- The extent to which agrarian class relations were more conducive to exploitation, individualism and capitalist economic development in France
- There have been further exercises in comparative history of rural society
- Calling into question conventional emphasis on stark differences between Western and Eastern Europe
- Scott argues
- View that west was liberated early from feudalism has been undermined by growing awareness of sheer variety of tenurial patterns and of 'revival of serfdom around 1500
- Hagen argues
- the East looks less traditional in light of recent discussion and recognition of strong market involvement and limits of seigneurial autocracy in region's characteristic demense economies
- Long-standing models of decline or even crisis among European aristocracies have been similarly reassessed
- According to Dewald
- As landowning elite with strong military identity
- Nobility certainly faced challenges in early modern period
- From 'common' soldiers in ever-growing infantry armies
- From upwardly mobile 'bourgeois' gaining their wealth by trade
- And from the expansive tendencies of state keen to eliminate intermediate powers
- Nobility certainly faced challenges in early modern period
- Established elites proved resilient
- Adapting to new circumstances by accepting high administrative and military office ('service nobility') and investing in major economic initiatives
- As landowning elite with strong military identity
- According to Dewald
- Notion agrarian society in general, and production techniques in particular, underwent an agricultural revolution in 17th and 18th C remains deeply rooted in scholarship
- According to Overton
- It was once fashionable to argue for early chronology of agricultural improvement
- emphasising technical innovation in 17thC
- Now commonly accepted that it was not until century after 1750 decisive breakthroughs took place
- It was once fashionable to argue for early chronology of agricultural improvement
- According to Overton
- Controversy
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