Ch. 15 Society under the Old Regime in the 18th

Century

Aristocrats- 5% of population Controlled majority of land Aristocrats used existing government

institutions to limit the power of the monarchy

Old Regime- The Aristocracy

Consists of 400 of families Game Laws- gave English exclusive rights to

hunt from 1671 to 1831 to hunt Owned ¼ of all arable land Controlled the House of Lords and House of

Commons (limited power of Monarcy)

English Aristocracy

Consisted of Military Officers and Bureaucrats

Two major groups: ◦ Those who were at Versailles (wealthy and power) ◦ Those who were not Versailles

French Aristocracy

Polish exerted complete control over serfs and had sole political representation

Austria and Hungary-exempt from taxation Russia 1785 Charter of the Nobility-

Catherine the Great defined the legal rights of nobles and their families in exchange for nobilities voluntary service of state

Eastern European

¾ of all Europeans lived in country during 18th century

Great Britain- Technically had rights of English Citizens (court run by landowners)

France- Responsible for amount of forced labor corvee. Paid feudal dues

The Land and its Tillers

Prussia- complete control of serfs Russian Serfs- slaves, had no legal rights

◦ Numerous revolts between 1762 and 1769◦ Pugachev’s Rebellion between 1773-1775

Serfs in Russia and Prussia

Relatively free because of high demand of labor

Could leave landlords if choose Gave more power within system

Southeast Europe and Ottoman Serfs

Households in Northwest Europe- consisted of married couple and children (immediate family)

Children leave in teens and find work to support family

Neolocalism- leave and form own families around 20s (stayed relatively close to home)

Family Structures and Family Economy in Northeast

Marriage much earlier (before 20) Wives older than husbands 3 or 4 generations lived under same roof

Family Structure and Family Econ in Eastern Europe

Production improves in Netherlands (Golden Age) ◦ Built Dikes ◦ Expanded Land ◦ Experimented with new crops

Agricultural Revolution

English Landlords popularized Dutch innovations◦ Jethro Tull- financed experiments permitted land to

remain cultivated longer ◦ Robert Bakewell- new methods of Animal Breeding◦ Charles Townsend- use of fertlizer and crop rotation

Enclosure Method:◦ replaced open field method (village commons) of

farming. ◦ Commercialized agriculture and maximized profits

for landlord

England and Agricultural Revolution

Made possible the production of more goods and services than ever before

Iron Production- redefines gender roles: men to mines; women to cottage industries

New machinery invented (from animal to machine power) ◦ Spinning Jenny ◦ Water Frame ◦ The Steam Engine

Industrial Revolution

The Growth of Cities (urbanization) 1650-1700

Agricultural Revolution- allows for urban centers to grow

Industrial Revolution- requires workers to live nearby factories

Social Divisions- upper classes; middle class; artisans; and peasants

The Growth of Cities

Majority lives in Eastern Europe (exception Netherlands)

Russia- Catherine the Great intolerant of Jewish population discourage settlement

Jewish population were persecuted all across Europe

The Jewish Population