The Origins of Capitalism I. Topics covered in this lecture: -“feudalism” -Enclosure movement -The creation of the working class -Dealing with the poor II. Finding academic literature

The Rise of Capitalism Competing explanations: φ)Population growth χ)Protestant ethic ψ)Urban commerce ω)Class struggle in agriculture Which view does Wood support and against which view does she argue?

Feudalism I 1)Agrarian economy 2)Land owned by aristocracy 3)Peasants were bound to a lord on whose land they lived 4)Peasants worked for lord (on his land) for 2-3 days per week)

Feudalism II Feudalism, markets and market society (p. 24) (High degree of self-sufficiency; few people were dependent on the market; not commodity producers)

Plan of a Medieval Manor See in Google images: “Plan Medieval Manor”

Inefficiency of strip farming 1)Distance between strips 2)Hedges, fences, ditches between strips 3)Self-sufficiency gave no spur to productivity increases (“traditional needs”).

‘Improvement’ and ‘Enclosure’ - Improvement: Making land more productive (sheep farming) (pp. 28-9) - Enclosure: ‘Privatizing’ land (pp ). - Enclosure: ‘Privatizing’ land (pp ). - ‘Extinguishing’ peasants’ ‘customary rights’ (p. 29) - ‘Extinguishing’ peasants’ ‘customary rights’ (p. 29)

The fate of the peasants 1)Private tenancy (monetary rents; farm labour; selling produce at market) 2)Eviction from land

Law & Order - Peasant protest: enclosure riots -‘Masterless men’ (vagrants) - Poor laws - Vagrancy laws

Freedom of the worker Workers became ‘free’ in 2 respects: 1)Free from feudal obligations and bondage 2)‘Free’ from the means of subsistence and production

Wood’s conclusion Class struggle and the origins of capitalism in England Role of the bourgeoisie? Capitalism and industrialism?

Word List p. 22(l): interstices p. 22(r): salutary p. 25(l): corollaries p. 27(r): welter p. 28(r): fallow p. 33(r): ancien regime