1. Gentry and the Enclosure Movement

2. Agricultural Improvements
In the Early Modern Era, three-crop rotation farming enhanced the
production of peasant agriculture, and kept populations increasing
However, three new factors greatly increased agricultural output in
the 17th and 18th centuries: convertible husbandry, clovers, and enclosure
Convertible husbandry and clovers both provided fertilizer in the form of
livestock manure, and nutrients from clovers, to maintain full use of land
In addition to using more land, landowners found that if they ended the
Common Land peasants could live and farm from, they increased output
Peasants did not organize or run the land efficiently, and as early as the 16th
century, English and Dutch realized their land could be farmed more effectively

3. Enclosure Movement Not only did peasants not use land effectively, but
animals routinely trampled and ate crops, ruining output
By fencing off and enclosing their property, landowners solved both problems
A few peasants were kept to work the land in a organized fashion,
and the fences and hedges prevented animals from ruining crops
The rest of the peasants were forced to leave the land their families had lived on
for centuries, and migrate en masse to the city—a process called urbanization
This mass removal of peasants from the Common Land they had lived on for hundreds
of years was known as the Enclosure Movement from the 16th-18th centuries

4. England and the Netherlands
The reason why England the Netherlands were the first to enclose their
private property was the presence of the gentry in their government
Eager to profit, gentry and nobles alike were willing to pass laws
that protect private property, and ended Common Land laws
While the rest of Europe would follow later, the mass
movement of peasants to cities ruined peasant life
With no other skills, peasants were forced to head to crowded,
crime-ridden urban cities to try and find work or steal to live
This ending of the Common Land caused a fair amount of unrest, and
several peasant rebellions such as Kett’s Rebellion in England in 1569

5. Impact of the Gentry
To enable capitalism to function, governments and guilds would have to release their control,
and for that to occur, some governments would have to begin eliminating these limiting factors
In both England and the Netherlands (E & N), representative bodies
called parliaments, were able to create or affect certain laws
While the rest of Europe was run entirely by kings and/or nobles,
E & N had regular people that could participate in the government
Already rich from trade, the gentry class became increasingly large and involved in the
government, demanding more influence, and economic reform to eliminate mercantilism
The gentry became increasingly focused on protecting and promoting their
private property, and eliminating tariffs, taxes, and guild control of industries