Society & Economy Under The Old Regime 18 th Century AP Euro Chapter 15

Society & Economy Under The Old Regime 18th Century

AP Euro Chapter 15

Pre-Revolutionary Europe

Society Prior to 1789

Is referred to the “Ancien regime”, or

“old regime”

Features of Old Regime

1. Aristocrats inherited privileges

2. Urban labor force organized into guilds

3.Rural peasantry subject to taxes

Visible Social Hierarchy

1. Laws dictate what different classes can wear

2. Your rights depend on your social class

3. Not all have to pay taxes 4. Certain activities restricted to upper

class

The Aristocracy…

1. Consist of 1% to 5% of the Population in any given Euro. Country

2. Inherit wealth & Land

3. Ruling Class

The Aristocracy

4. Set the example of manners & conduct

5. Lead “lives of idleness”

6. Have certain privileges

British Nobility

400 elite families Average estate size:

a thousand to 50 thousand acres !!

Own ¼ of arable (good) farming land

British Nobility

Oldest son inherits title & Right

to sit in House of Lords = Political power

British Nobility

Younger Sons Must Choose Profession:

Commerce, Military Officer, Church Office.

Peerage System :Titles of Nobility Amongst Aristocracy

The peerage a collective term for people who possess certain titles of honor. The Titles in The Peerage ( In descending

order): Duke or Duchess

Marquess or Marchioness Earl or Countess

Viscount or Viscountess Baron or Lady

English Game Laws

1671-1831 Exclusive right of

aristocrats to hunt hares, partridges, pheasants, deer etc.

I am a Pheasant, not a Peasant

British Noble Women

"...the greatest challenge faced by

females of the leisured classes was how to be

leisured..." Upper class women

had tutors, learned “womanly

activities” and had lots of free time!

18th Century English Trends: Men

Noble Men wear “Banyan”

“man of the house” outfit

An Asian inspired outfit for staying at home

Noble Hairstyles 18th Century

By 1780’s younger men wore lightly powdered natural hair

1795 English established tax for hair powder

Which caused the demise of the powdered wig/hair

18th Century English Trends: Women

Clothes Reflect: “softness,

prettiness, delicacy” Colors reflect

natural world Decorative elements

18th Century English Trends: Women & Cosmetics

Pieces of leather or fabric applied with adhesive on face to hide imperfections

Lead face powder Rouge made from

plaster of Paris & Carmine

Aristocrats In France

Different From England Nobility acquired through: 1. Birth- inherited 2. office - awarded 3. “letters”- King’s order

French Titles of Nobility

Duke Marquis Comte (Earl) Vicomte (viscount) Baron

French Aristocratic Families & Prestige

how long had a given family been noble (l'ancienneté),

into what other families did it marry (les alliances),

what positions its members achieved and what offices they held (les dignités),

what actions they performed (les illustrations)

French Aristocrats

400,000 nobles Divided Into: “Nobles of the

sword”-military service

“Nobles of the robe”- bureaucracy

Second estate

French Nobility

Hobereaux – provincial nobility

Not as wealthy But “nobles” non -

the less

French Aristocrats

Exempt from taxes Rarely had to pay

vingtieme income tax in full

Hunting & Fishing privileges

French Aristocrats

Known for extravagance in manner , dress, court culture

Remember Versailles?

Peasants & Serfs

Rural Reality

The Importance of Land

Economic basis 18th cent. Europe

Foundation of status & power for nobility

Source of oppression for peasants

Rural Reality

3/4ths of all Europeans live in rural areas

Work the land

Peasants & Serfs: What’s the Difference?

Peasants – are “free” tenants (Western Europe)

Serfs- are not free. More like slaves (Eastern Europe)

French Peasants

Seigneur or Land Lord can:

Require labor from peasants

Charge feudal dues

Russian Serfs

Nobles wealth measured by serfs, not land acreage

Barshchina- 6 day work week

Serfs can be punished

Like slaves

Russian Serf Rebellions

Over 50 in 1762 Pugachev’s Rebellion in Southern

Russia (1773-1775 ) Emelyan Pugachev Promises:Emelyan Pugachev Promises: Serfs land of their own Freedom from landlord Russian govt. crushes rebellion

The Family Economy & The Household

Rural Living Pre-Industrial / Pre- Revolution

The Household…

Basic unit of production

also known as “The Family Economy”

2 models: 1. North Western

Europe 2. Eastern Europe

1. North Western Household

Household consists of the Nuclear Family:

Married couple, children , maybe a servant (younger person, a social equal, works until marriage).

Children live with parents until teen years

1.North Western Household

Neocalism- when child moves away from home

Men marry at 26 Women marry at 23 Considered “late”

marriage

2. Eastern Europe Household

Household consists of Extended Family:

Married couple, children, grandparents etc.

Larger households Younger Parents Idea is to “add” to household, not leave

Family Economy

1. Impossible for ordinary people to support themselves independently

2. Everyone in household works 3. Goods produced for benefit of

household 4. “self contained” unit

Those Who Lived By Themselves…

seen as suspicious! Potential criminals,

or beggars Remember, even

servants lived with a family…

Women and the Family Economy

Marriage regardless of class, an economic necessity!

Number 1 concern: maintaining house Number 2 concern : bearing and rearing

children

Life of Lower Class Women

At age 7, girls considered old enough to help around the house

Once a girl left home, she had to support family, and save up for her dowry

Women & Children

High mortality rates for children – disease

Unsanitary conditions The poor could not afford babies

Foundling Hospitals

Paris, London Homes for

abandoned children “orphans”

Most children illegitimate

Parents could not afford them/gave them up

Abandoned Children

Link between movement of people and an increase in abandoned children

Link between rise of food prices and abandoned children

The Sad Truth…

Only 10 % of abandoned children lived to the age of ten.

The Agricultural Revolution

Changes in the midst…

Developments That Transform

European society & economy

Agricultural Questions 18th Century

1. How do you produce surplus crops?

2. How can you bring down the price of crops?

Agricultural Revolution

Innovations in agriculture led to improvements in agricultural production

And Transformed the

“traditional” family economy

Jethro Tull (1674-1741)

English Developed Seed

Drill Seed drill Allows

seeds to be planted in rows, rather than by casting seeds randomly

Charles “Turnip” Townsend (1674-1738) English; Introduced Crop

Rotation – wheat, turnips, barley, clover

Crop rotation Restores nutrients in soil

Robert Bakewell (1725-1795)

English; Pioneered new

methods of animal breeding

Bred stronger animals

Enclosure System

1. The fencing off of common lands 2. Commercialized agriculture (no

longer a communal ritual)

Improvements in agriculture

1. Impacted the food supply in a positive manner

2. Allow landowners to have a “disposable” income – money left over to purchase manufactured goods, or invest in other business opportunities

Demographic Changes

Europe’s Population Rose 1700 – 100 and 120 million By 1800 – 190 million By 1850 – 260 million Mortality rates declined due to Changes

in food supply

Industrial Revolution

Mid – Late 1700’s

From Domestic System to Industrialization

Industrialization

Second Half of 18th Century

Focus on “Manufactured goods”

1. Led to movement of people

2. Growth of cities 3. Industrialization

Industrial Revolution Begins in Great Britain… Why? 1. Economic Center 2. Print Media : Newspapers, Magazines,

advertising 3. Good roads & waterways to transport

goods 4. Stable banking system 5. Mobile society & Large Population 6. Rich deposits of coal & ore 7. Transformation of Textile Industry

“Domestic” System (“Putting Out System)

1. Peasant home #1 would spin thread at home for extra $.

2. Agent would take finished thread to peasant home #2 . This family would then weave thread into fabric.

Domestic System of Textile Production

Was basic feature of family economy until Mid 18th Century

The demand for cotton textiles grew more rapidly than production,

So … Investors searched for faster ways to

produce fabric & clothing

1. Water Power

1700’s Water Wheels power first machines & factories

Thus, 1st factories had to be built by water source

2.The Flying Shuttle (1730’s)

Invented by: John Kay

Allowed weavers to work fast

Problem: they outpaced spinners

3.The Spinning Jenny (1764)

Invented by : James Hargreaves

Spun many threads at the same time (16 originally)

4. Water Frame (1769)

Invented By: Richard Arkwright

Used water power to speed up spinning

5. The Steam Engine

1. Thomas Newcomen’s original invention 1712 – large, inefficient

Used to pump water out of coal mines

5. The Steam Engine

2. James Watt’s Modified Version 1769 – revolutionized industry

Use of steam engine spread slowly until 1800’s

6. Power Loom (1780’s)

Invented by: Edmund Cartwright

Did not gain importance until 1830’s!

By then, more power loom weavers than hand loom weavers

Growth of Cities

Population Growth between 1500-1800

However, less than 20% of population lived in cities

(in France, and in Great Britain)

Growth of Capitals & Ports (1600-1750)

1. Growth of Ports – a reflection of expansion of overseas trade

2. Growth of Capitals – a reflection of the success of monarchical state

New Cities Emerge, Small Cities Grow (mid 18th cent)

1. Innovations in agriculture – improved crop production led to growth of market towns

2. Factories Near Water – towns “grew” around factory as People moved.

Social Divisions

differences between rich & poor Nobles : Attempt to secure & expand

privileges. Live “beautiful” lives Poverty: found in both cities, &

countryside. Live “filthy” lives. Lower classes have no rights, no chance at social mobility.

The Middle Class or “Bourgeoisie”

Urban residents Merchants, trades people, bankers,

Lawyers, Professionals Grow wealthier and wealthier Want political power and Social Prestige

Inequality of the Social Classes Leads us to…

The French Revolution 1789-1800To be continued…