Pre-Industrial Economies: Resources, Population, and European Rise
Pre-Industrial Economies (2.1)
Resources and Population: Limits to Growth
Malthusian explanatory model on demography: Population growth is limited by available resources. When population exceeds resources, prices increase, leading to instability and theft. Diseases and limited medical progress cause population decline.
Natural model of population: Marriage and birth rates are influenced by space limitations. This favors cyclical population patterns. Population is measured by data and statistics. In
Read MoreMedieval Cities: Society, Economy, and Gothic Art
Medieval Cities
Triennial Crop Rotation and Population Growth
1. What is the triennial rotation of crops? What is the benefit versus biennial rotation?
Triennial crop rotation was a significant advancement in agricultural techniques. It involved dividing the land into three sections instead of two. One section was planted with a spring crop, another with an autumn crop, and the third was left fallow (unplanted). This system allowed only one-third of the land to be fallow at any given time, compared
Read MoreMarxism, Anarchism, and Socialism: 19th-Century Social Movements
Marxist Ideals
- Proletarian control of the state
- Liberalism was used to make the bourgeoisie richer
- Inspired by Lenin and the Russian Revolution
- Rejection of all types of authority
- Advocated for a proletarian dictatorship
- Liberalism was seen as false liberty
Anarchist Ideals
- Disappearance of the state
- Society organized from the bottom up
- Society organized by “free association”
- The state shouldn’t regulate the economy
- Sometimes used terrorist-type methods
- Many rural workers followed this ideology
Shared Ideals
Read MoreThe 18th Century: Societal Shifts and Revolutions
Agriculture in the Manor
Agriculture was the most important activity. It was subsistence farming based on triennial rotation with fallow. Yields were low and oriented to consumption. There was no specialization of crops, and exchanges were few, held in local or regional markets. If the harvest was bad, there was little food and rising prices, since the land was held by the nobility and clergy. Peasants worked the land and had to pay heavy taxes. These periods were called small subsistence crises
Read MoreIndustrial Revolution: Britain’s Transformation & Rise of Capitalism
The Industrial Revolution: A Fundamental Economic Shift
The Industrial Revolution marked a fundamental change in the production of goods, leading to profound social and cultural repercussions. Industrialization emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries, unfolding in various stages across different nations. Britain spearheaded this revolution, achieving success by producing more in less time and at a lower cost.
Capital: The Engine of Production
Capital encompasses any element that, in conjunction with
Read MoreGlobal Population and Economic Disparities
Uneven Population Distribution and Growth
Natural population growth has been unevenly distributed, especially in Asia. China and India, part of the demographic giants, together hold 40% of the world’s population. Most northern states, Western Europe, North America, and Japan have low population growth (due to low birth rates and higher mortality), the opposite of Africa and parts of South Asia that continue to have high growth exceeding 2.1% per year. China and India have had to resort to policies
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