Demographic Regime & Economic Sectors: Pre-Industrial Era
Demographic Regime and Productive Sectors
Old Demographic Regime: Before the Industrial Revolution, population growth was limited due to factors such as low agricultural productivity, crises, and subsistence farming. The primary sector significantly impacted hygiene and medicine. Wars were a major cause of mortality. People primarily lived in rural areas, although there was an increase in agricultural activity and a growing urban population. Population growth was scarce and of short duration. This was a problem that hindered industrial development. Spain experienced a decline in the 17th century due to decreasing returns.
Productive Sectors
- Primary Sector: Accounted for the largest share of the economy. Agricultural supply followed demand, leading to diminishing returns. Malthus argued that population growth was geometric while food production was arithmetic. This led to phases:
- Population and production increase.
- Increased demand led to increased production, but also higher mortality.
- Adjustment was limited by production and scarce technology.
- Secondary Sector: Manufacturing and construction were important. Organization included guilds, domestic industries, and concentrated industries.
- Tertiary Sector: External trade was significant, driven by business growth, urban development, and areas with advantages in river routes. Mediterranean trade was classical, with exchanges with America, Africa, and within Asia. The monetary system was underdeveloped.
The Early Medieval Centuries
In the 3rd century, the Christian Roman Empire experienced a rebirth of cities, artisanal production, increasing ruralization, political instability, and social inequality. A crisis emerged with the pressure of barbarian invasions at the borders. Fragmentation was prevalent: the eastern part (capital: Constantinople) and the western part (Rome). In the following century, Swabians and Vandals took Rome, leading to the fall of the empire. This accentuated the decline. Institutions of vassalage and feudalism emerged. The Muslim expulsion from Europe had significant consequences for the Iberian Peninsula. The rest of Europe saw Germanic kingdoms with economies based on agriculture, livestock farming, and hunting, with limited trade and rudimentary farming. The 7th century intensified the decline of trade. From the mid-8th to the late 10th century, during the Carolingian dynasty, there was a commercial and monetary reactivation, including fairs, markets, and a monometallic monetary system. However, the economy did not reach the levels of the Roman Empire.
A Prolonged Period of Growth (c. 1000 – c. 1280)
There was accelerated economic growth due to technological change, population increase, a transition from slave labor to semi-free labor, and monetary developments. These factors increased agrarian production and trade. Advances included wind and water mills, which increased agricultural productivity. The use of iron also became more common, such as the iron fence of the Roman plow in the Iberian Peninsula. Triennial rotation was also implemented. Although mortality remained high, population growth was an intense process of land reclamation, multiplying production. In territories taken from the Arabs (in the Iberian Peninsula), repopulation occurred, with the distribution of these lands to the nobility, leading to the seigneurial regime. This was an obstacle to progress due to its wasteful nature. The emergence of transhumance and the Mesta (a powerful association of sheep ranchers) was possible, as sheep farming became more profitable. Increased agricultural production was driven by improvements in the quantity and quality of workmanship. Urban population saw the largest increase, with Italian cities growing the most, followed by London and Paris. This broke the trend of de-urbanization that had lasted for seven centuries. Markets, fairs, and workshops thrived, leading to growth in crafts and trade. Mediterranean trade routes flourished, and trade also grew in northern Europe. Following Charlemagne’s reforms, there was no significant progress until the discovery of mines in Saxony, Bohemia, and Sardinia between 1160 and 1200. Increased exploitation led to a greater money supply, but also significant inflation. The upward trend in prices caused a stall, leading to a crisis in the late 13th century.