18th
Century Europe Lecture
History
M01B - Krister
Swanson - Moorpark
College
Pre-Enclosure Movement
- Peasants work their land + lord’s
- goal: stable food supply
- 1 of 3 fields left fallow
- Crops: wheat, barley, beans, oats
Impetus for change
- pop. jumps
- bread prices up
- trad.
production slow=
s growth
- landlords see benefits, gov’t
wants taxes
- peasants resist
Enclosure Movement
- landlords fence common lands
- Par. passes laws backing them (squirearchy)
- Prod. á to
support population
- more food made by fewer workers
New Crops & Methods
- corn & potatoes
- clover & turnips renew land & feed livestock
- reclaimed land (Dutch)
- Tull’s iron plow & seed
drill
- Townshend’s new rotation
Population Explosion
- 3/4 of billion in 1750, 5 bil
now
- plague gone, less war, better health
- Explosion forces change in way we live (migration, etc.)
The 1st Ind. Rev.
- Great
Britain leads (freedom, waterways
& roads, coal & iron, unified tax structure, relatively mobile
society)
- textiles, coal, steam & iron
- putting out can’t keep up
- flying shuttle demands thread è
spinning jenny è
water frame è=
- must move to factory
- 1776- Watt’s Steam Engine allows move from rivers
Increased Consumption
- more disposable income
- more people
- improved marketing
- goods =3D prosperity
Growth of “New” Cities
- 1500-1700 growth in established cities, after 1750 it’s “new”
cities
- enclosure movement & growth of industry lead to migration
- built around factories, mines, road hubs, sea ports
Poverty
- infrastructure not ready
- crowding, disease, slums, etc.
- prostitution, crime, begging
- coal soot
Wealthy Upper Class
- entertainment, opportunity, new
inventions, etc.<=
/li>
- new houses & shops for nouveaux riche
- new gov’t
build=
ings, museums, cathedrals, etc.
- wealthy control city gov’t
Caught in the Middle
(Bourg.)
- income not from land
- Main force behind consumption & industry
- wealth =3D social mobility
- resent nobles, fear poor
- want reform for their own ben=
efit
Artsy Fartsy
Artisans
- stable “upper-lower” class
- grocers, carpenters, wage earners
- try to advanced through guilds
- guilds made obsolete, fade out in Central
Europe
Riots
- goal: reestablish a threatened right
- Bread, religious tolerance, new taxes
- MC might support vs. nobility
Life for European Jews
- most in Eastern Eur.<=
/li>
- legally excluded, deprived of rights, separate
group
- villages (rural) or ghettos (urban)
- fate at whim of ruler
- On to Colonies
- ability to dominate comes from superior technology, not
culture
4 stages of European involvement:
1) “Discovery” (1450-1600)
2) Trade Rivalry (this one)
3) Africa/Asia (1875-1940)
4) Decolonization (post WWII)
Mercantile Empires
- desire for influenceÔi=
ntense rivalries
- time of great trade expansion
- sugar, cotton, tobacco, spices
Britain:
N. Atlantic Seaboard
France:
St. Lawrence, Ohio<=
/st1:State>
& Mississippi
River Valleys
Spain:
S. America & Southern N. Amer.
Dutch: Surinam<=
/st1:country-region>
& trading stations in Asia
Relationship with Colonies
- supply markets & materials to home country
- get protection & “gov’t”=
- strict regulation of trade
- home economy grows at their expense
Colonial Problems
- Home falls short/regulations suck
- French & English Colonists in NA
- French & English Trading companies in India
Mid-18th Century Wars
- trade & territory (colonial
& in Cent.
Europe)
- Reshape traditional alliances
- Lead to new power structure
War of Jenkins’ Ear
- British abuse asiento
- Spain
fights back
- Jenkins’ ear used to inflame Par. (trade interests want war)
- War between GB & Spain is first in a series of conflicts
- War of Austrian Succession
- Frederick II takes Silesia, M-T maintains kingdom
vs. threat
- France
+ Prussia
vs. GB + Austria,=
France helps
Spain
abroad
Treaty of Aix-La-Chappelle
- Silesia (rich in
resources) to Prussia
- asiento for GB
- M-T Keeps throne (Bohe. & Hungary)
Major Outcomes
- Prussia
recognized power
- Austria
solidifies claims
- France
falls behind GB
- Spain
continues to fade
Diplomatic Revolution-1756
- with France (Frenchy
+ Hapsy)
- Frederick II launches pre-emptive strike vs. Saxony
- Sweden
& Russia
join Aus. & F=
r. Ô Freddy’s
surrounded but fights brilliantly with aid from GB
- 1762- Russia drops out
- More Seven Years’ War
Overseas: