Old Regime: Social, Economic, and Political Structures
The Old Regime was a set of social relations and political economics that characterized the 17th century. It was a period of monarchical rule. The maintenance of society and the economy were based on a three-estate system: the clergy, the nobility, and the commoners. The political system was an absolute monarchy. Monarchs were influenced by the ideas of the Enlightenment and evolved into more advanced formulas, leading to enlightened despotism.
Maintenance of Stratified Societies
The form of social organization of the Old Regime had the following features:
- Vertical stagnation.
- The existence of privilege allowed to the nobility and the clergy, the privileged classes.
Hegemony of the Primary Sector
In general, there was a production of subsistence. The land was in the hands of the privileged. Lands of the nobility were divided ever since the law of primogeniture forced the transmission of the entire estate to the eldest son. Much of the land belonged to the clergy, ‘dead hands’, and could not be sold because it was under the protection of the king.
Those who had no land were subject to the manorial regime and were servants of the Lord. The Lord allowed them to work part of their land for their livelihood, and in exchange, peasants had to work on some of the Lord’s lands several days a week and pay an income.
The English Parliament
The conflict between the king and the bourgeoisie led to the development of the revolutions of 1642 and 1688, ending with the expulsion of the Stuarts from the English throne and the parliamentary monarchy. The parliamentary triumph of William of Orange was based on the supremacy of law over the monarch. The king guaranteed certain rights and freedoms to its citizens, and the parliament recognized and was responsible for making laws. This marked the separation of powers in England. Political liberalism (John Locke) defended freedom, reflecting the right of people to have equality before the law and property as a criterion of social differentiation.
Mercantilism
Mercantilism defended three main ideas:
- A state was richer the more gold and silver it had.
- To capture the metal, it was necessary to develop foreign trade.
- To avoid metal from leaving, economic protectionism should be implemented.
Political Liberalism
The doctrine of political liberalism, as enunciated by John Locke, emphasized:
- Freedom: It reflected the existence of specific rights for each person.
- Equality before the law.
- Property as a criterion of social differentiation.
The Enlightenment
The Enlightenment was an intellectual movement that developed across Europe. They believed it was possible to analyze society using reason. They defended that people have natural rights, and tolerance was the basis of human society.